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Wishful Thinking Disorder
Confession time. Wishful Thinking Disorder (WTD) has plagued me for as long as I can remember. WTD is essentially optimism on steroids. My glass isn’t just half-full — It’s going to run over any day now. This time of year is particularly difficult for WTD gardeners. Symptoms kick into high gear around Ground Hog’s Day.…
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Nursery Update
My little seed-starting operation is going gangbusters. Some of everything I planted germinated — including several varieties that didn’t come up last year. This unprecedented success was a nice surprise that meant running out of room sooner than expected. I hit the max (eight flats) earlier this month and would have been in trouble had…
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Garden 2022: The Nursery
Since downsizing in 2012, I’ve chosen to fill my garden with annuals. They’re colorful, fast-growing, widely available, and easy to grow. Changing things up every year also appeals to me. Browsing garden centers is a related hobby. Impulse purchases are common. Last winter, I bought a timer, LED light and cold frame to grow plants…
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Cool Running
Weather has long determined if I go for a run or not. Preferred conditions include sunny skies with a temperature from 65- to 7degrees and a light breeze. There’s a little wiggle room, but anything beyond that is a deal breaker. An aversion to sweat is the issue. I don’t mind sweating so much these…
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Plant Factory Update
The little seed-starting operation I set up in January has been a success. I’ve grown hundreds of flower and vegetable plants from seed and counting. The exact number or even a good estimate is unknown — I’ll keep better records next year. At least a few plants came up of everything I planted. Varieties include…
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Practically Perfect
The home renovation and remodeling projects I’ve been talking about since September are drawing to a close. The bathroom is done, the entire interior has been freshly painted, and the bedrooms have new carpet. I couldn’t be happier with the results. Everything in the house had to be moved — twice. Putting things back was…
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Late-winter Veggies
My second attempt at a winter vegetable garden has been more successful than the first. I can’t really take credit. Success came down to an unusually wet and cool September followed by months with only light freezes. The bar is admittedly low. Merely surviving the winter is a success. Months of root growth will pay…
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Antsy
Patience is not among my strengths. Never has been. Waiting for my COVID-19 vaccination, completion of the renovation, and the end of cold weather has me a bit antsy. Throughout my childhood and well into my teens, I didn’t sleep a wink on Christmas Eve. Anticipation built for weeks. By December 24th, sleep was impossible.…
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Happy Groundhog Day!
February 2nd has long been my favorite day of the year. Call me skeptical, but I couldn’t care less about some groundhog. Shadow or not, the possibility of spring weather being just six weeks away lifts my spirits. Cold weather and I fell out in college. The rift started in high school. Snow was fun…
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Mid-January in the Garden
Winter in Athens has been fairly mild so far. We’ve had frost on windshields many mornings, but only one when the mercury dropped below 25. I covered what I could and crossed my fingers. Everything survived — including plants I was not able to cover. Aside from scattered blossoms, annual flowers have hunkered down and…