The first full week in June has been set aside as
NATIONAL GARDENING WEEK.
It’s a great opportunity to get out into your garden and tend to it, along with enjoying your garden’s peacefulness and beauty. National Gardening Week is both a celebration, and an educational opportunity so
I asked our friend, Master Gardener, Julie McElroy to share some of her insights and ideas about one of America’s most popular hobbies.
All Things Gardening
We have all been hearing and seeing the results on Mother Earth of people staying at home trying to combat this horrific pandemic. With less pollution, the air and waters are cleaner and everything looks more beautiful. I know I feel like I am breathing better and being outside is a healthier way to socially distance.
More people are looking for ways to grow their own food and the local nurseries have been selling out of seeds, plants and all thing gardening. Reminds me of the Victory gardens that most of us are too young to remember.
I am a WSU Master Gardener volunteer and usually spend quite a bit of time in our plant clinic that is a place the public comes to get help with all things gardening. Since our clinic is closed due to Covid-19 I have an abundance of time to spend in my own garden, which is my happy place.
With all this free time I should have a perfect garden, right? Well, the weeds are also happy and growing well so my priority is to get them out. Since the weather is coolish and rainy (my favorite for working in the yard) I can get all suited up with long sleeves, hat and padded knee overalls. No sunscreen, or bug spray needed.
Every year I choose some new vegetables to grow and keep a journal on the progress. This year the most success has been with Malabar spinach, which is not really spinach but tastes like it. It is a tropical vining plant (Basella alba) that grows quickly and is a beautiful ornamental as well as a tasty veg. It is encouraging to grow something successfully especially when other crops fail, like my tomatoes. Apparently the different soil I used burned the plants and damaged the roots. I might be visiting a local nursery for replacements.
The native plants on my property are blooming profusely and I never realized how many buck brush I had before this spring. Is it because I was too busy to notice or is the climate more conducive to plant growth?
In all my haste to “get things done”, I try to practice mindfulness so every so often I sit back and focus on a particularly beautiful plant or the hummingbirds zooming overhead and remember to be thankful for the time, energy and space I am fortunate to have.
Have An Entertaining Day!
