A New Year Begins

I just started a blog last month, and here I am expanding the franchise. Not usually a smart move in the world of business, but here in cyberspace, it makes perfect sense because this blog will be all about my upcoming year in the urban garden that is my back yard.

I have already started the process of getting psyched for gardening; it began last Sunday at the Home Depot. I'm sure that most real gardeners would rather die than go into a Home Depot, Lowes or any other chain store for gardening items. But, I am a newbie at this, so this is where I started, and eventually I will branch out to garden stores or nurseries.

Right now, places like Home Depot allow me the chance to learn at my own pace. I got very intimidated last year when I went into the nursery near my house. I went there with questions about growing potatoes, and while the staff was very helpful, I got the feeling that most of their customers already knew what they were doing. I also noticed that there was not much selection and that the prices were higher, so my pocketbook will dictate how often I plan to return.

It may be in my DNA, but my fascination with things that grow goes back to my childhood. My father had a vegetable garden at our home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have distinct memories of "helping" him. My grandmother was a flower person, and I remember seeing her in the front yard of her home pruning azaleas (I don't remember being allowed to "help" her, though).

When I got my first apartment in New Orleans, I wanted plants around so that I could decorate my apartment cheaply. I got hardy vines that could survive my inexperience and periodic neglect. They actually survived an entire summer without being watered. And because they grew all the time, I eventually had vines in every room of the apartment. It was the saddest day when I had to leave those plants behind to return to DC.

But, the good thing about plants is that you can get more and start all over again. I started my new collection from a spider plant that my mother kept in the kitchen by the sliding glass door. One day, I snipped off a baby shoot and put it in a glass of water. Eventually, it grew roots and I later planted it in a little green and blue pot. I took it to work with me and put it in the window sill of my office. That was the beginning of my life as an urban gardener

I can go on and on about my indoor plants and how I eventually moved on to outdoor plants, but I will stop here. There is so much to say, but so little time...I am facing a deadline on some other work. In the meantime, I just want to say how excited I am about Spring and Summer this year and I can't wait to start planting.