Summer Gardens
The summer garden offers a place of quiet meditation like no other. Whether it be a vegetable garden, herb garden, or flower garden, there will almost always be little to interfere with one's thoughts while working in that precious space.
In the spring, we look at that patch as we till it, remove the weeds, and plan it all out. With marigolds in their midst to keep out the aphids, Tomatoes will occupy the southeast corner. Corn, with its tall, sun-blocking stalks, will dominate the north rows of the space. Because they thrive in the shade, you can plant cucumbers north of the corn.
As the season progresses, we watch the beanstalks climb their trellises, bloom, and produce. We keep an eye on the stalks of the squash for those murderous grubs that eat them and try the latest treatment for the victims. The pumpkins and other squash are carefully laid upon boards or bricks to keep them off the ground, giving them a better chance against the soil's pests.
By the sweat of the brow, we weed out the unwanted grasses and vines from our patch of earth and meditate on the unwanted vices and iniquities we need to weed from our lives. The garden thrives as we nourish it with the fertilizer of our choice, whether dung from the chicken coop or a bag from the seed and feed store.
Further, into the season, we reap the sweet rewards of our labor. The table is adorned with a centerpiece of fresh-cut flowers. Plates of sliced tomatoes, radishes, onions, and cucumbers are spread out with the steaming pots of beans or peas.
The product may become overwhelming as the season wears on, prodding us to visit the couple next door to share the fruits of our labors. Hopefully, we'll find the time to scan some of this goodness for winter. Potatoes and carrots we merely put in the cellar for safekeeping.
At season's end, we glean the last tidbits of our labors from our patch. Vines and bushes are pulled up, and the dirt is shaken from the roots. We include the patch with leaves and grass clippings like a blanket to keep until spring.
Source of Information on Summer Gardens and Plants
TN Nurseries best selling groundcovers
English Ivy
Wintercreeper
Wisteria
Partridgeberry
