August in the Dzen Garden
I’m just about 3 months into my first-ever gardening season so I thought I’d give an update on how my little Dzen Garden is doing in these magical, golden days of summer (I ❤️ August).
Overall, I have been loving this experience and am so grateful that I signed up for a plot this year (I have a space in a community garden near my house for anyone who missed my previous garden post). While I normally spend a lot of time in front of my computer anyways, quarantine has increased my screen time even more, so it has been great to have an analog activity that requires me to spend time outside. Plus the garden is about half mile from our house so it forces me to get some steps in too.
So, how’s it going so far?
Well…let’s just say that gardening has been a much more humbling experience than I was expecting. I have a pretty green thumb in general and that has certainly helped, but I’d say I’m working at about a 70/30 success/failure rate—which I’m honestly fine with for my first go at gardening.
Some things are doing great. Others are doing alright. And then some things just straight-up died with no explanation. And man, a plant can be crushing it one day and then be on the brink of death the next. It’s definitely been keeping me on my toes.
Things That Are Doing Great (Big Yield): Tomatoes! (thank god, tomatoes are my favorite food), pretty much all of the herbs (basil, parsley, chives, dill, etc.), kale, onions, potatoes (and hopefully sweet potatoes too, I haven’t harvested yet but the leaves look promising), leeks, zinnias (they make me so happy), sunflowers, and blue cornflower.
Things That Are Doing Alright (Small Yield): Cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, jalapeño, Swiss chard, and eggplant. I’m definitely getting some of these…just not as much as I was expecting…and not as much as I see other people posting from their gardens.
Things That Straight-Up Died—Or Had a Very Short Life: Arugula (flea beetles destroyed these plants almost immediately), sugar snap peas (these were doing great…until they weren’t), cosmos (the plants themselves got huge but never flowered, I think I can thank the baby bordered plant bugs for this), and then my strawflowers and dahlias never came up at all.
It’s all good though, I’m learning a lot, and per the advice of my friend Jess who is a farmer, I’m keeping a notebook of everything I planted and what issues I ran into so that I can use it when I’m planning next year’s garden—which I have definitely already been thinking about. I might go for a full plot next year and dedicate half of it to just flowers…because I love flowers. I felt especially inspired after attending a workshop at Willa Rose Floral in Detroit last month.
I’ll probably post an end of season wrap-up when the garden closes up in October too, but for now, happy Tomato Season everyone! Forget Christmas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year right now in my book.
p.s. Here are a few garden accounts that I’ve been enjoying following on Instagram this summer: Megan Gilger from Fresh Exchange, Kyle Hagerty from Urban Farmstead, Niki Jabbour, and The Mocha Gardener.
p.p.s. I think it’s probably worth noting too that the weather this summer has been incredible. More perfect summer days than I can count—it’s the least the universe could do for us in 2020…
