Quote of the Day: John Ruskin
All things are literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have been divinely appointed.
John Ruskin from (The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty)
Take some time to notice the beautiful imperfections in the world around you today.
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Quote of the Day: Alexander Pope
“All Nature’s difference keeps all Nature’s peace.”
I was thinking about this quote the other day when someone asked me about my pest control in the garden. Here at Chiot’s Run I just let nature run it’s course. Occasionally I’ll lose a crop to a pest, but I like to observe to see how nature works and what will happen. We must remember that the “pest” insects feed the benficial insects and the birds. If we meticulously get rid of all “bad” insects in the garden we’ll be inadvertently getting rid of beneficial things as well.
What’s your favorite beneficial insect and which is your more loathed pest insect?
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Quote of the Day: Thalassa Cruso
Gardeners should love what they own & own what they love; but their gardens should never own them, there will be no pleasure in them if they do.
-Thalassa Cruso (Making Things Grow Outdoors)
I thought this quote was quite fitting. There once was a time when I was trying to get way too much done when it came to the garden. One day I realized “it’s not a race”. I didn’t have to get an entire orchard planted in one summer, or to fill every flowerbed with plants the first year.
After realizing this my gardening has taken a much slower pace. I still spend countless hours each week in the garden, but I don’t get stressed out if I don’t get something accomplished that I was hoping to get done.
As a result, gardening is much more relaxing. I can enjoy the simple pleasure of slowly weeding a flowerbed without worrying if I’ll have time to install a hedge of roses or not. When I get time, I’ll have a hedge of roses, until then, I’ll relish the fresh cleanly weeded flowerbed.
What pace do you typically maintain as a gardener?
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Quote of the Day: Margaret Atwood
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
~Margaret Atwood
I certainly do. You know it’s been a good day in the garden when you step into the shower and see swirls of dirt running down the drain!
Barefoot or shoes, which do you prefer?
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Keeping Track
Jefferson’s garden diary, or Garden Book, is an enduring expression of Enlightenment. Begun at his boyhood home, Shadwell, on March 30, 1766, with the notation “Purple hyacinth bean begins to bloom,” the Garden Book concluded on Septebmer 15, 1824 with the completion of his vegetable garden Kalendar and the planting of the Winter spinach and Brown Dutch lettuce.
Peter J. Hatch from “A Rich Spot of Earth”: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello
One of the areas I really need to work on as far as gardening is keeping track of what I’m growing and doing in the garden. I’m really good at taking photos, so generally when I need to know when I planted something, I look through my photos. That’s how this blog got started originally, it was going to be my garden journal. Garden journaling is something I really struggle with. I have a file on my laptop and I try to remember each evening to write down everything that I did, more often than not, I completely forget until it’s been too long to remember exactly what I did.
A garden journal can be a valuable tool, especially if you note the dates for seeding, germination, transplanting, harvest, fertilization, etc. I’ve tried a variety of methods, from a spreadsheet to a simple text document, so far I can’t seem to do any of them with regularity (besides writing this blog). I also have a binder where I keep old seed packets, interesting articles, and other garden related things.
At least I do have photos and I write planting/seeding dates on my plant labels so I can note days from seeding to harvest. Someday I hope to be diligent enough to keep a good journal to document the things going on in the gardens of Chiot’s Run.
How do you keep track of what’s going on in the garden?
