What a rainy week! Almost two inches have fallen already and we’re only two days into it. While we’re not outside as much right now, it provides a perfect time to take a break from working in the garden and think about ways to be more efficient, so we can spend precious time outdoors to the best advantage. With that in mind, I decided to revisit a column from August 2020 on being prepared for gardening.
The ideas started with a suggestion from my husband, Charlie, after I’d just finished watering the containers on the patio: “Why don’t you refill the watering cans now?” he asked. I wasn’t sure that would make any difference, but scorching days with intense sun were making it critical to water every day, and I decided to give Charlie’s fill-after-watering idea a try. Surprisingly, it did make a difference to me.
With everything prepared, it was easier, psychologically, to jump into the morning’s garden tasks. And filling the containers after finishing watering for the day didn’t feel like a chore the way it did the other way around. It may sound inconsequential, but there’s something empowering in being prepared.
There were other things I did that year that made me more prepared, and which made gardening easier and more fun.
Rather than sending our old patio table out with the trash, I moved it into the middle of the vegetable garden. Having a higher surface to work on made it so much easier to do things like potting up transplants.
I discovered that placing a tall tomato stake randomly in the garden made a convenient place to hang my hat or jacket.
I kept a stash of mulch on hand. This eliminated having to stop mid-project to go to the local garden center. I don’t know why I hadn’t done that much earlier.
As with mulch, I found that it’s helpful to have bamboo stakes of different lengths on hand. They’re useful for so many things, such as staking plants and making trellises.
When we had some leftover topsoil and potting soil, I put a blend of the two into a vacant raised bed. It’s great to have this on hand when moving plants into larger containers. A soil mix could also be stored in large trash cans.
Spare flagstones came in handy in a number of ways. I used several of them to make a solid place to stand near the hose, where the grass always gets soggy. It was quick solution to a problem and the area looks better, too.
On the back patio, up against the house, we set out a baker’s rack I’d found at a flea market. It makes a perfect place to work plus it has space to store the tools and things we use most frequently. It also makes a great sideboard for when we eat outside.
The result of all these little improvements was that I found myself enjoying gardening in a different way than ever before. It wasn’t just easier. I somehow felt like more of a gardener — a surprising thing after so many years!
In other news, on Sunday, May 18, I’ll be at the Chester County Library as part of the library’s second annual “Read Local!” event, which showcases authors and illustrators with ties to Chester County. This gives library goers the chance to chat with authors that they probably wouldn’t otherwise get to meet or necessarily associate with our county. The event runs from 1 – 4 p.m. I’ll be there with copies of my books for folks to browse and buy. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and say hi — I’d love to meet you! The Chester County Library is located at 450 Exton Square Pkwy, Exton, PA.
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to [email protected], or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Pam’s new book, Listening to Nature’s Voice, is now available on Amazon. For more information or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: pamelabaxterbooks.com.
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