Where to Begin?

 Hello to All, 

   My thought for today, and frankly for awhile, has been how to start this thing.  I mean, it's daunting to try and start a blog, book, project, whatever.  On top of that, it seems like there is a website or blog by nearly everyone out there concerning gardening.  And then, considering the subject matter of gardening, there is just SO much.  So, in an attempt to try to just get the proverbial ball rolling, let's start at the beginning.

Why do you want to garden?

   Well, there's a question.  Speaking personally, I needed to get out of the house during quarantine.  I fell into watching gardening shows then started getting my hands dirty and before I knew it I was hooked.  There are many reasons to garden, health (mental especially), fresh air, being responsible for something other than yourself, reconnecting with nature, etc.  Depending on what you grow, maybe you're looking to source your own fruit or veg (I prefer the British term veg as opposed to typing out vegetables, I'm lazy).  Maybe you're looking to grow something pretty.  Maybe you just bought a house, it's a blank canvas and you want to fill it in; OR you just bought a house and you want some curb appeal.  Or, maybe, you're just looking for something new to do.  Well, welcome to gardening!

How do you garden?

   Now, this could take a ton of time, and has taken up countless pages in books and magazines.  So, simply, what do you want to get out of it? And how much time do you want to put into it? And how much money do you want to spend?  Those are the three questions that are going to dominate any discussion of gardening.  The most important of the three being: how much time do you want to put into it?  If you have a hectic job and social life, you don't have a ton of disposable time, so when planning and considering a garden take the plants and projects that require small time and small upkeep.  We can get into that shortly.  The silver medalist question is money.  You can spend thousands on plants and landscaping and whatnot, or you can spend very little.  Decide what you roughly want to spend and then plan accordingly (again, we'll get into this shortly).  Keep in mind, gardening is usually a bigger outlay in time and money at the outset, as you transition to upkeep the expenditures of time and money tend to lessen.  The bronze medalist question, which is also the gold medalist, is simply what do you want to get out of it? A few pots of tomatoes on your balcony? A mini herb garden on your balcony? A recreation of Sissinghurst (a very elaborate garden in England)? My recommendation is to start small and grow (pun intended) from there. We'll talk a bit about this shortly.

The other question, and this may be floating at the back of your mind, is how much skill, knowledge, and experience do you have concerning plants and gardening.  You can have zero of all three and still create a gorgeous garden (either flower, veg, or both).  What I mean with this is simple, if you have very little experience then don't try and create a garden that could appear on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.  All it takes is some sweat equity and some daring do and you can do it!

Now, as this post is getting a bit long, I'll wrap up to expound on those three questions in subsequent posts.  But, a smidge of an explanation before I wrap up: there will be a lot of references to British gardening, gardeners, terms, etc. this isn't because I'm an anglophile, this is because the Brits are way more into gardening than we Americans and there is just more material out there.  We Americans have our gardens and books and whatnot, but it seems to be much more specific, almost specialized.  I believe that this is partially, or mostly, due to our regionalization as a country.  We have so many different growing zones, cultures, subcultures that to have some generalized material is almost superfluous.  After all, if I'm gardening in South Carolina, there is very little that is applicable to me from a book written about flora in Arizona, or the Pacific Northwest.  Yes, you can always pick up something from any learning, but it isn't as helpful.  Hence, this blog is more about the Midwest than about anything else.  If you are looking for more specific information concerning your area look into local gardening clubs and botanical gardens.  They are great resources.  Also, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) is an amazing resource! I joined last year and have been blown away (free plug over). Learn, learn, learn. Experience is the best teacher.

Auf geht's!