Gardening resolutions are easy to keep. They are usually two-fold. We have a goal in mind that can have another benefit to us by keeping it. A resolution like planning to spend more time in the garden is good for the garden and the time spent there can add to our sense of peace and help us get a good dose of Vitamin N (Nature). Working in the garden or planting an edible garden are good for exercise and have good health benefits.
Here are my top garden resolutions for 2018.
- Spend more time in my Garden. Just to enjoy it. There is always something to be done but just sitting and being are important. Connecting with nature and seeing the cycle of plant life, insects, and birds helps us de-stress and realize our place in life.
- Be more aware of the value of beneficial insects in the garden. Use more earth friendly solutions for everyday garden problems.
- Leave wild portions of my property for foraging birds, insects, frogs and fish. Clean out invasives carefully and replant with natives. The creek and ponds on my property need the shade and undisturbed edges to create an aquatic habitat.
- Use the compost pile more and get it working properly. Sometimes it is just a pile of debris that I clean out and take to recycle. Then I turn around and purchase it as compost. I use compost in all my garden beds and no synthetic fertilizer.
- Plant my usable spaces with intention instead of random ‘stick it in’ style. Designers especially have this problem. We just plant a plant to see what it does instead of intentionally adding it as a part of a design.
- Share what is growing in my garden with others. Plant starts, seeds, and produce can all benefit others and sometimes start a life long love of gardening.
- Read more, study more, and add innovative new garden ideas to my current garden.
- Learn more about planting seeds and adding them to the garden instead of buying plant starts. This aspect of gardening can be daunting but so rewarding if you get it right.
- Visit more gardens, hike more trails, and observe more. Making time to connect with other gardeners and hikers creates a network that feeds lives.
- Be aware of water needs in plants and plan. In 2017 we had the one of the wettest ‘water years’ in history (49.3 inches) but at the same time the driest summer in history with 52 days of no rain. Creating more water retention on my property is a key goal this year.
