Now that February is half-gone and winter winding down, I’m starting to think about my garden again. It’s in the shade of the house so it only gets direct light in spring, summer and early autumn. In the hottest part of summer, it gets 5 or 6 hours of sun, not much, but it protects the plants from the extreme heat that kills many other gardens.
I once spoke with a gardener who claimed the best things to plant in the midst of a Texas summer are “your feet on the coffee table,” but my shady garden is almost pleasant even in July. Of course, the trade-off is a lack of winter gardening, but the break is nice. It’s good to return to it after letting it lie for a few months.
I’m still finding shards of broken glass from last June’s hailstorm so I need to remember to wear gloves, but looking at the empty beds and imagining the the good things that will be growing there soon fills me with anticipation. I love the work of gardening, which is good since the possum and birds make off with a lot of the produce.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
man, we’ve had so much snow for so long now I can barely remember what warm dirt feels like.
I can’t wait to get my feet off the coffee table.
(& the envelope please — you’ve been nominated for a blog award. http://bit.ly/aYtIaO )
😉
Thanks for the award, Angie. I’m honored.
They say it’s going to snow here tomorrow so maybe I’m jumping the gun a bit.
I haven’t thought so much about planting, but about plants in general. I am looking forward to the blooming of wildflowers so much! I’ll also be happy when the temperatures are warm enough to start thinking about planting lettuce. Lettuce is the easiest garden item to grow in my book. What kinds of produce do you usually plant?
I usually grow herbs, tomatoes and a variety of chilies. Probably some green beans as well. I’ve never tried greens, but I’ll probably stick some in the ground and see what happens.