No Excuse

I have heard so many different excuses why someone can't have a garden.

I don't have room. I don't have time. I don't know how. I don't have a "green thumb". Blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda...

What it often means is... They are too lazy.

Now, some people don't want a garden, they tried it amd they discovered that they just didn't enjoy it. I'll give them a pass. That isn't who I am talking about. It's the ones who say... "Oh, I wish I had a garden, but...(insert excuse here)... " That I am referring to today.

There is so much information available, for the asking, from the internet, the community library, your county extension service, and your local garden store, that not knowing how to plant a garden is a transparent and empty excuse.

If all else fails go to the hardware store on Saturday morning and stand by the seeds. When an older, friendly looking couple walks by, pick up a seed packet, turn to them and say. "I have always wanted to plant these, but I'm not sure how, do you folks know anything about gardening?" Be prepared to listen and nod for a really long time, you may even want to take notes, because you can learn more about gardening in one morning that you ever imagined. You may even make a new friend too!

Having a green thumb really means having the desire to plant a garden and care for it. If you don't want to, chances are your plants will die. If you are wiling to take care of them, they will probably live. I don't know how to break it gently, but seeds have no idea who planted them, and plants really don't know or care who is watering them. They will grow equally well for anyone who cares for them properly, and will die equally fast for anyone who neglects them.

Space is certainly a factor in a garden. I sometimes dream of a one acre garden, with raised beds and walkways, gravity fed drip watering systems, lush beatiful rows of foilage, and a greenhouse out back, so I can start my seedlings in January, and pick fresh tomatoes by the sixth of June. Then I go back outside our apartment and looked at our little raised beds, our barrels and our hanging planters and realize that anyone who wants to plant a garden can find some room. Unless you are living on a submarine, where there is a will, there is a way.

Time is important, but there are several tips that will save you time,and make gardening more enjoyable and less work.
I have included several such tips in past articles.
Our weed control project is working wonderfully so far.
Our self watering system is doing great,
I only have to add water to the bottles about once a week, and less often if it rains. When people tell me they don't have time, I point out our Thyme plant and tell them that I grow my own, so I will always have some on hand.

I read a blog post recently by Stephanie who decided that she wasn't going to let something like being pregnant get in the way of having a garden, so she adapted her gardening techniques to fit her situation. Check out
5 Steps To Being A Lazy Gardener for some of her ideas. Way to go Stephanie!

What it boils down to is this.

If you want a garden, you can have a garden. If you don't want one, you don't have to have one. But anyone who says, "I wish I had one.. but....." is probably just fooling themselves.