January Thaw

For all of the lounging I have been doing this last two weeks (due to the flu-not laziness) I seemed to have missed those blessed few days of 2013's January thaw. Watching the snow and ice melt and drip off the roof made me pick up my seed catalogues and my current lay out of my garden.

I don't know if it is just me, or if seed catalogues send others into fits of giddiness and dreams. As I looked at my current lay out, I realize that I may be in a bit of a pickle. Not because I have planned on too many cucumbers, but because I think I have run out of room. Five of my raised beds are already planted (onions, red Russian garlic, Egyptian walking onions, asparagus, and rhubarb). That leaves six beds.

My only goal this year is to incorporate heirloom seeds into our garden. I am done relying on any other company-or God help me- the government to take care of those needs. In a growing number of areas, it is becoming illegal to grow food in your own yard for your own consumption. "When pigs fly" is all I have to say about that. I decided that this is the year to grow a wide variety of heirloom seeds and learn how to eat some, preserve some and save some. That is all well and good. I have 12 varieties and am wondering WHERE do I plant them?

I guess it is time to look at ripping up part of the lawn and growing them in an old fashioned garden. Right in the ground-just like Grampy and Grammie did. It is funny the amount of information out there on gardening. So many pins on Pinterest and links on Facebook, but these novel ideas are a lot less novel than you may think. With all of my hours spent in bed, I decided to pick up one of my favorite books of all time.

It is called The "Have More" Plan; Ed Robinson, copyright, 1947. Yes, 1947. My grandparents read this book so much it was all creased up when I got it and I have gone through it so much, some pages are falling out. But I never noticed the first paragraph in chapter 11. It reads: "Even before the victory garden boom there were so many books, articles, pamphlets on gardening that garden writers seemed to be having quite a time of trying to be original. For example, I have in front of me a cute article in one of the "garden and home" magazines explaining how you can have cucumbers climb a fence, use carrots for borders, and make a teepee for children by planting pole beans. Well, maybe garden articles like that appeal to some folks, but what we wanted at our place was somebody to tell us how to raise a lot of vegetables with as little work as possible."

I have to admit, I have been sucked into the container gardening, climbing garden, wagon wheel garden, topsy turvy, milk jugs, rain gutters, etc. Then I look out the kitchen window and think- really? I guess it is time for me to head back to basics. Grass roots gardening. I have the drive-I just hope my back will hold out come spring thaw!