Tend Your Garden - Post #6

It's been a cool, wet Winter here in Texas and under longterm drought conditions you gladly wait out the weather with a good movie and some hot tea and just hope for inches to accumulate so the Spring and Summer months won't be so harsh. We just got through two long days of a continuous soaking that was a bit chilly, the forecast called for sun and decent temperatures the next day which brought smiles and anticipation for the great outdoors.

It's January, but that doesn't mean working in the garden can't be done and the mud won't stop this amateur from attempting to upgrade that status. Shovel in hand I met the sun and decided to do what I think a good gardener would do on a beautiful day in between rain storms. I weeded, turned-over the dirt, graded soil and even planted a few plants.

I started this learning garden with my family a few years back and we've tried to do right by our efforts each planting season but with little success in the yield. Some of the problems were human error but others were out of our control. As I worked on my little plot of land, the lessons started to shout back at me through what plants were still healthy and alive.

We know now that Mexican Oregano is a very hardy herb. It's so healthy it took the entire corner of our garden bed. I had to cut it back. This plant is an all around great plant, it can be used for ground cover, it's edible and it has an evergreen look year round. Although 'Mexican' is in its name, it can be used in Mediterranean and European dishes. It adds flavor to fish, poultry and pork, can be used in salsas and made into an herbal tea.

Prepping the Bed

Who knew? We hear strawberries can be difficult to grow in Texas, but alas, all our strawberry plants made it through the winter and have new growth. Last year the birds ate the fruit, so now we just need to make a net to remedy this. We must have picked the correct spot in the yard for this miracle to happen.

Our garden bed is made of wood and is starting to rot. I think I can get another year out of this version before we need to repair and re-do. I've already researched the next step and the upgraded, longer lasting, a bit more expensive but worth it version will be made with corrugated metal.

Herbs as Aesthetic Elements

I decided to go outside the garden box and plant some herbs in one of my regular beds. This is taking a chance with the ever present, bed-trampling dog. She did give her sign of approval though when she snuck a kiss on my cheek as I placed the German Thyme in the ground. I added Lavender and Lemon Thyme to the area as well and it gives a varied texture to the walkway into the yard. Deciding to use herbs as a decorative element to the landscape makes aesthetic sense.

Lemon Buds

I didn't work long outside but the time I spent revealed underlying success in our learning garden. I have lemon buds growing on my lemon tree (I had to treat it for disease in the Fall, and protect it from frost in the Winter, so I'm proud my efforts have saved this plant) and empty pots to imagine varied botanic arrangements in for the near future.

It may be Winter but life is wanting, waiting and ready to burst forth. I put my muddy shoes and shovel away with a euphoric sense of what Spring will bring.

"A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them."- Liberty Hyde Bailey.