My Healthy Garden Quest

By Paul Roberts

As my summer theater schedule has slowed down, my gardening schedule has ramped up. That means my blog thoughts keep on gravitating toward my time outside in my “garden of weedin’.”

None other than Thomas Jefferson said “Though an old man, I am a young gardener.” I imagine many gardeners often feel that same way. There is a science to the art of gardening that I feel ignorant of most of the time. I know enough to water diligently, weed occasionally, and pull the hose along behind Carol when she takes the time to spray some Miracle Grow fertilizer all over the back yard - usually several times a summer, but much of our soil had a spring dose of bunny fertilizer that seems to have been more than adequate. To quote another well-known gardener (well-known if you read gardening books), author Lee Reich says it’s possible to have a decent garden with minimal effort or know-how. That describes my gardening this summer.

So as we near the end of August my life is full of green…and red, and yellow, purple, pink, and white. Black and yellow pollinators continue to buzz my blooms and bbq dinners, and iridescent hummers are still hanging out around our patio. I’d love to spend some time with gardeners like Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Reich, quizzing them about how to do things wiser, but I’ll settle for asking a few questions of my blog readers out there, to see if I can get some scientific answers…heck, I’ll even settle for some strong opinions.

• Should I do something about the bald faced hornet nest in my vegetable garden, or just trust those ornery critters to leave me alone while they forage for other pests?
• How big a hole do I have to dig to uproot and transplant a six foot tree to a more suitable location?
• What’s the safest weed and feed product (if any) to use on my backyard where Cleo, Clark, Leo, Carol and I spend most of our time?
• Should I work harder on my compost bin and piles, or just keep throwing stuff in and occasionally taking stuff out?
• Should my large trees be evaluated by an “expert” for health and safety? A large, dead limb from my front yard tree recently dropped off in a windstorm.
• Do I want chickens?
• Should I get some wintertime grow lights for the mango tree seedling my friend just dropped off?

Seven was the number for completion/perfection when the Creator made a garden, so seven questions is good enough for now. Share your wisdom with me.

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