We are visiting our daughter for a few days, so that part of being "away" is a good thing. She's a gardener, too, and her Zone 6 property sports a large herb garden, containers of flowers and veg, a couple of raised bed veggie gardens, and flowers, shrubs, and trees galore. It's always a treat to see how things have grown and changed since the last time we visited.
She reads extensively and puts many ideas into action, applying her own touches. One of the neatest ideas she implemented this year is a trellising system for her tomatoes. While the original source had a diagram-specific method of constructing the trellis, M bought two appropriate-height end-pieces and used an appropriate-length top beam from another project...and lots of garden twine, up and down. End result? No cuts! Brilliant! As you can tell from this picture, her tomato plants seem to love their new digs!
I also get to raid her library when I come for a visit. On this trip, I have enjoyed several gardening books and magazines, but I keep picking up one in particular.
Maureen Gilmer has written "The Small Budget Gardener," a handy how-to paperback on "saving money in your garden." The original printing was in the late 90's; this revised edition was printed in 2009. Geared to surviving and thriving in your garden in a tough economy, there are 11 chapters in three sections: Stretch Every Dollar, Environmental Cents, and Gratis — As it Should Be. My favorite of the moment? Making Babies: How to Propagate Free Plants. (Can you tell I've been trimming the chrysanthemums this week...and thinking about dividing all those iris?) While this isn't a step-by-step manual, you will find Tightwad Gardening Tips, checklists, pretty plant pictures, and well-illustrated ideas. I like it!
So, when we return home, I'll be inspired to put some new ideas into action in our Gardens at home.
Happy hoeing!
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