Hello, Rural Sprout readers, I can’t believe it’s Sunday already. My boys started school again this week (I know, their school district is crazy
early.), and we had a busy week getting everyone ready. It feels like I was just sitting down to write to you folks yesterday. It’s a bit odd having the kids back in school so
early. It signals to my brain that summer is officially over, and it’s time to get back to work. (As if I haven’t been working all summer as it was.) But it certainly changes my calendar for the near future, anyway. And it doesn’t help with my
desire for fall weather. When we went back to school shopping, the boys were looking at long-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts. I had to remind them that their school is not air-conditioned. Showing up in any of that gear now is liable to result in heat stroke. My oldest might have liked that; it would get him out of class for the day. Despite my complaints about
the continuing hot weather, the evenings are cooling off again, and mornings are cool and crisp on the balcony. So, I’m rummaging through my seed packets, picking out things to plant for a fall garden. A regular reader shared their favorite squash-bug-resistant summer squash with me, which meant checking out Baker Creek Seeds, and before I knew it, I had six or seven new seed varieties picked out for next season. You, ma’am, are an enabler.
You know who you are. It’s this seasonal cycle of optimism that keeps us gardeners coming back year after year. We are an odd bunch, aren’t we? We can have the worst season in memory, pests of all shapes and sizes demolishing our plants and terrible weather making watering a pain, and it won’t be long before we’re thinking about the glorious, lush green garden we’ll have next
year. It struck me how singular this “keep on trying” mindset is to gardening. For instance, if every single one of my knitting projects had a hole in it, or didn’t fit or ended up being the wrong size, I think I would give up and try a different hobby. But no, not us gardeners. It’s always there, a beacon of hope among blossom-end rot and squash borers. So, while I’m picking the third generation of cabbageworms off my kale this year, my mind is already flipping through glossy pages of seed catalogs for next season. And I can’t help but wonder if gardening brings out this (sometimes completely baseless and ridiculous) wellspring of hope in each of us, or if it’s already there and gardening just calls to those of us who have
it?
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Love it for its nutrients, or hate listening to all the hype, kale is here to stay. Literally. Plant…
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The signs of sickly plants - wilted leaves, discolored foliage, malformed and stunted growth - are…
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To enjoy pulling weeds by hand requires a special kind of zen. Some of us don't have it. Instead, you…
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Tomato gardeners, I'd like to paint an all-too-familiar scene for you. You're out in the garden,…
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Your Christmas cactus may not be a Christmas cactus at all. Here's how to identify your plant, plus…
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Shade loving plants are adapted to very little sunlight because of their place in the forest…
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As summer evenings start to edge on the cooler side to make way for fall, you can put your ear close…
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The decision to build an eco-friendly greenhouse on our little farm in Pennsylvania was really an…
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Of all the ways to garden, raised beds remain one of the most popular approaches to growing food and…
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Composting is not rocket science. It is basically taking advantage of nature's recycling system to…
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Did you miss a
newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget
to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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Sincerely, Tracey Besemer Editor |
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