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Dear MGs, Thanks for all the input you gave a few weeks ago regarding
New Year's resolutions. I compiled them all together and put them into
the article for the Bemidji Pioneer. It was much easier using all your
input than I think it would have been doing it all on my own. Many
thanks. Here it is, sorry about the small type. Linda
New Year's resolutions are made in the hope that human beings can
improve themselves. Master Gardeners show hope in the future every time
they plant seed, plant or tree in the ground. So New Year's Resolutions
are made as a sign of hope that one's gardening can improve just as
other resolutions can improve one's life. Gardeners however work on a
yearly or longer cycle. And so gardening resolutions need to be really
resolute ones because the results are not always seen until many months
into the new year.
However the New Year is almost upon us, so lets start with those
resolutions that can benefit us in January and then work our way
forward. I surveyed a group of Master Gardeners for their wisdom and the
number one resolution was not to purchase, more seeds, plants or trees
than the gardener has space for. But the pictures of the flowers, trees
and plants look so pretty you may be thinking. And the snow outside has
smoothed over all the imperfections of my yard or planting bed that I am
sure that I can fit all these plants in. Enjoy those catalogs but hold
on to your resolution as you fill out the order forms.
And if you have plants that you meant to plant in the fall such as tulip
or daffodil bulbs, let them be a reminder not to let your shopping time
be longer than your planting time. But there is hope for those bulbs
depending on where you have stored them in the last two or three months.
Planting them in a pot and trying to force them for indoor bloom may
still be possible. With resolutions, and plants, one can always resolve
to try again.
Another resolution is to plan your vacation time so that you can get
your spring planting done on schedule and then enjoy the fruit of your
labor in the summer and fall. And speaking of planning, resolution
number three may be to start a journal, gardening notebook or some form
of record keeping to help you out in later seasons. I recommend keeping
a record of what you planted in each location because once the snow
falls or the vegetation has died back it is easy to forget that there is
a plant lying dormant in a particular spot. It is disheartening to dig a
shovel in to the ground to plant a perennial and then realize that you
have just cut a lily or other bulb right in half. Record keeping can
save you from such disasters, provided of course that you remember where
you put your records and consult them before you dig.
And speaking of digging, one gardener has resolved to finish one bed
before starting the next. Since gardeners are always looking forward to
the future, this is a particularly hard resolution to keep. Gardeners
are always thinking, "Just imagine how that plant will look when it is
grown and full blooming! " So the temptation to start a new flower or
vegetable bed is always strong. And if you can stand to have a bed with
some bare ground or a bed with half flowers and half weeds, then go
ahead and start those new beds. If they don't get finished this year,
they can be the first of your resolutions for next year. Optimism about
gardening can lead a gardener to help every other gardener they know.
Helping others with their gardens is a great idea but one gardener has
resolved to try and save some time to do her own work as well. We wish
her well, but whether she creates beauty in her own garden or someone
else's, it is still beauty and work worth doing.
Another gardener has resolved to remember that he is year older and may
not be able to do as much work as in previous years. This is true but
gardening is also a great exercise, so lets be realistic about what we
can and cannot accomplish, but also optimistic. If you are outdoors
gardening, you are getting exercise and fresh air. And since it is very
hard to eat and garden at the same time, you are also likely to reduce
your waistline! And while we are on this subject, resolve to bend your
knees not your back.
A resolution for all year long is to put your tools back in a place
where you can find them again. It can be very frustrating to see a
pruning or other job that needs doing, have the time to do it and then
not be able to find the tool necessary to do the work. I also resolve to
wash my gardening gloves oftener, so that when I put them on and try to
bend my fingers there is not so much dirt left on the gloves that they
will actually bend. I haven't yet figured out how to best clean my knee
pads, but they also can become encrusted with dirt.
A resolution for the growing season, weed, weed, weed. Weeds are much
easier to remove when they are little than when they are full grown, so
it is a good idea to try and catch them before they have their roots
deep in the soil. But don't apologize because the weed that has
successfully hidden itself from you when you were out in the garden
working, now appears in full growth when your are showing visitors your
outdoor accomplishments. All gardens have weeds, they just don't have to
have them for long.
A resolution for the fall is to put the garden to bed earlier. It is
hard to think about the coming snow, but it is even harder to tip a rose
bush or mulch a perennial bed when there is already a dusting of snow on
the ground. Resolve that when the calendar says it is time to plant your
bulbs, it is also near the time to cut back, tip over, mulch and
otherwise prepare your garden for winter.
Now at the end of your gardening year, resolve to take a rest. There are
a few months between putting the garden to bed and the arrival of new
seed and plant catalogs when all you have to do is tend to your indoor
plants and sharpen your tools for next season. During that period of
time, look back on all your successes, do not dwell on the plants that
refused to grow or thrive and do not compare your garden to your
neighbors. There are benefits from gardening besides exercise, and fresh
air. It is also restful for your mind, so even if everything did not end
up looking like those pictures in the catalogs, gardening is still a
good thing. A final resolution for your Christmas list, ask for a
gardening bench. All of you need a place to sit, rest and most of all to
admire all the beauty of creation that you have encouraged through all
your planting and weeding is a good idea for every garden. Good luck for
next year! 1183 words
