Homeowner
NJ
About me: Hello,
As far back as I can remember, I have always had a garden with me. Potted plants, roses, crotons, houseplants, veggies, banana trees, moringa, sacred basil. We propagated plants through cuttings, seeds, exchanges, haunted nurseries and garden centers. My Dad had a green thumb. Anything he planted sprouted and we used to have beautiful perennial gardens.
I moved to New Jersey about 5 years ago and was struck by the greenery. Having lived in California for many years, just seeing the changes in seasons in NJ was a fantastic experience. It was also a learning experience, that plants need a lot more care because of the weather changes, especially in spring. I must have spent a small fortune in the first few years, doing research, planting, taking care through the seasonal change. Not everything survived.
I decided I had to get better. Do more research, see how to work with nature, be more green in how I gardened. Not rush out to buy stuff or quick fix solutions. Being on a tight budget, it also made more sense to try to be innovative and see what I could do with existing material. So I did what everyone does, a google search. I created trellises, built planter boxes, composting bins, made wind chimes and then came across this site. I joined the newbie seed exchange and got seeds. I planted them joyously and waited eagerly. I watched over the seedlings and monitored their progress daily. What I did not factor was squirrel, chipmunks and rabbits. They ravaged the garden and had a feast. They seemed to take pleasure in just scrounging and pulling up the tiny plants. It was devastating. But the trees and the squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits were here long before me. Our house is the only one on our street which does not have pristine lawns and no trees. We have tall majestic pines and oak trees that must be at least 50 years old. So I went back to Google and the garden web to check for humane ways of saving the plants without harming the little creatures. I also have a dog and cat who love to sit in the sun and watch the world go by. So chemicals were an absolute no. By this time it was the last days of summer and no point even trying. This year is a new beginning. I scour the gardenweb site to read what other gardeners living in similar zones have planted to learn from their experience.
I will be sharing what worked, what didnt, websites I found useful, the excel sheets I use to track progress, costs, maybe someday even seeds.. Right now I have only morning glory, marigolds and Pole beans harvested from last year. Someday I will have a butterfly and hummingbird garden. Till then, it's off to digging,prepping and some sweat equity for this year's efforts.
As far back as I can remember, I have always had a garden with me. Potted plants, roses, crotons, houseplants, veggies, banana trees, moringa, sacred basil. We propagated plants through cuttings, seeds, exchanges, haunted nurseries and garden centers. My Dad had a green thumb. Anything he planted sprouted and we used to have beautiful perennial gardens.
I moved to New Jersey about 5 years ago and was struck by the greenery. Having lived in California for many years, just seeing the changes in seasons in NJ was a fantastic experience. It was also a learning experience, that plants need a lot more care because of the weather changes, especially in spring. I must have spent a small fortune in the first few years, doing research, planting, taking care through the seasonal change. Not everything survived.
I decided I had to get better. Do more research, see how to work with nature, be more green in how I gardened. Not rush out to buy stuff or quick fix solutions. Being on a tight budget, it also made more sense to try to be innovative and see what I could do with existing material. So I did what everyone does, a google search. I created trellises, built planter boxes, composting bins, made wind chimes and then came across this site. I joined the newbie seed exchange and got seeds. I planted them joyously and waited eagerly. I watched over the seedlings and monitored their progress daily. What I did not factor was squirrel, chipmunks and rabbits. They ravaged the garden and had a feast. They seemed to take pleasure in just scrounging and pulling up the tiny plants. It was devastating. But the trees and the squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits were here long before me. Our house is the only one on our street which does not have pristine lawns and no trees. We have tall majestic pines and oak trees that must be at least 50 years old. So I went back to Google and the garden web to check for humane ways of saving the plants without harming the little creatures. I also have a dog and cat who love to sit in the sun and watch the world go by. So chemicals were an absolute no. By this time it was the last days of summer and no point even trying. This year is a new beginning. I scour the gardenweb site to read what other gardeners living in similar zones have planted to learn from their experience.
I will be sharing what worked, what didnt, websites I found useful, the excel sheets I use to track progress, costs, maybe someday even seeds.. Right now I have only morning glory, marigolds and Pole beans harvested from last year. Someday I will have a butterfly and hummingbird garden. Till then, it's off to digging,prepping and some sweat equity for this year's efforts.
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