What Makes A Good Gardener?

Experience~ just gardening will make you a better gardener. Some of your attempts will succeed, do those things again. Some will fail, no need to retry those next season.

Consistency & Persistence~ plants are a lot like children and pets. Regular care is required. If you are looking for a hobby that you can put down for a couple of months, consider crocheting.

Observation & Adaptation~ pay attention to your plants and what’s going on in their lives. When things aren’t going well, a good observer can cut disaster off at the pass. When a cool or wet season sneak in, roll with the punches. Each season will be different. Have a plan, but be flexible.

Failure~ your garden will not look like Martha Stewart’s. Get over it! She has a staff and the benefit of airbrushed photography. You will kill plants. In the real world, plants get bugs and diseases. This does not mean that you have a black thumb. Don’t give up.

There are so many facets of our lives that we have to follow the rules and play nicely. Give yourself permission to escape into your garden. Perhaps this is just the right place for a little rebellious streak? Make your garden a guilt free zone. Experiment, fail, experiment again.

This is How Dirty Girls Do It...

Wanna fight weeds without using chemicals? We've compiled our own Seven Wonders of the World.
1} Boiling Water~Pour boiling water directly on the unwanted vegetation (and only on the undesirables, as it is not selective)
2} Bleach~Put some in a spray bottle and apply on the weeds. Wait a couple of days before planting anything in the bleachy arena. If any is accidentally sprayed on plants that are keepers, just wipe off quickly.
3} Vinegar~ This acid will kill leaves fairly quickly. Wanna get to the root? Keep applying. The older the plant, the more applications the job will require.
4} Salt~ This kitchen staple has a sordid history. Salting the earth was a consequence for severe crimes. It not only kills current growth, it renders the soil unsuitable for future growth. For just a few weeds, just a pinch will do at the base of the plants. A couple of rainfalls should dilute the salt back to a harmless level. Large area (which does not belong to an ex-husband) needs weeding? One liberal application should leave the area barren for months.
5} Rubbing Alcohol~ Want your weeds to die of thirst? Rubbing alcohol draws out water and causes it to evaporate quickly~ not good news for plants. This too has no gauge for determining good or evil. Any plant in contact with rubbing alcohol is a goner.
6} Corn Meal~ This is not a weed killer as much as it is The Pill for seeds. Scatter on seeded area and there will be no further growth. Corn meal is a good choice for a bed that will planted with grown plants.
7} Newspaper~ More into smothering? Lay down at least four sheets of newspaper. No sun= no more weeds.