Broccoli and Kale
I was talking about gardening recently with one of my gardening-type neighbors while we stood in my backyard. I looked around at my thriving but still-needing-attention plants and started into my “would have, should have, could have” list. I had made a lot of pesto this year, but I could have made more. This summer’s tomatoes were great, but we would have had a higher yield if we’d staked them up sooner. And how had we forgotten–we should have planted green beans too!
My neighbor’s reply was “But look at all you did. It is good to get anything done.”
Pumpkins climbing up the fence
Gardening is always a study in risk. The weather and the seasons are unpredictable, especially it seems here in Michigan. Nearly recording-setting temperatures or much higher-than-usual rainfalls— we don’t know what is coming until it gets here. We can’t be sure whether it will be a good year for tomatoes or a lousy one, Farmer’s Almanac predictions aside. The whole process has an uncertain outcome but is potentially full of rewards. We can plan carefully and work hard to make our gardens lovely and productive, but at least some results are out of our hands no matter what we gardeners do. We have to give ourselves credit for our efforts as well as our harvests.
When contemplating the gardens of 2010, take time to take stock of your gardening successes as well as your dreams and plans for improvements next year. We invite you to take a stroll through your garden –physically or mentally– and tally up what you’ve got to be happy about.
What were you most pleased with in your garden this year? Which crop or plant exceeded your expectations? For what in your garden was 2010 a great year? Whatever joys you find in your garden, now is the season to celebrate them.
