Let's get started

A tree fell. Just one tree.

(not that tree, but a similar one several years earlier)

That's how I started in gardening. 

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In my suburban St. Louis backyard of lawn and locust trees, one locust fell over leaving a large hole in the ground which needed to be filled with something (I chose plants -- well, soil then plants), and now ten or so years later I have a yard full of growing and discovery, and a consuming passion for plants. 

Starting with a small bed of almost randomly-chosen flowers, I've observed, modified, experimented. I've added new beds, removed others, built raised beds, redesigned. I've built a patio, small "stream", pergolas, and trellises. I've created a fenced veggie garden, dealt with rabbits, woodchucks, chipmunks, birds, deer, and more. In short, I've gardened. Over the last eight or so years I've learned a lot, made a lot of mistakes, gotten a lot right (in my opinion), but mainly have had *a blast* doing it. I love working in the yard!

I've never been very good about documenting what I do in the garden though. I've finally forced myself to keep a garden diary the last couple of years, but I find it difficult to put pencil to page and write down everything that happens outside, especially after a long day of digging or wheelbarrowing load after load of compost, soil, gravel, or mulch. It's good for planning though:

It's also great to have a book to look back through and see what was going on a few years back (hey, here's when we planted the bald cypress! We had to drag it's 250 lbs across the yard on a plastic sled, downhill, then uphill again!). A written diary can't easily contain photos though. Nor can it link to other cool garden sites. Plus I have to keep sharpening pencils and the good sharpener is all the way in the basement. So here we are: a blog.

I've decided to record and write about everything I do in the garden this year: cleanup of last year's plants, planting, maintenance, building, something interesting I see, a repair -- whatever I do, I'll post about it. Why? First, it will be my new garden "diary". Second, it will let me get some idea of how much time I spend in the garden, and will hopefully let me more accurately estimate the time certain tasks will take. I don't know how many times I've grossly underestimated the amount of time something in the yard will take, so this will help me get better at that. Third, I'm hoping some of my experiences will help and inspire others in their gardens. I know that without the resources of the Internet my garden would be a pale shadow of what it is now, and I would never have attempted much of what I did.  I want to "give something back" now, and hope that I can.


So let's get started.

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