Gardening in January

January 23, 2009

Even in the dead of winter my garden is never far from my thoughts. But the smell of soil, dirty fingernails, aching back, gorgeous blossoms and sweet red berries are just a faint whisper during the snow hushed month of January.

After last year's end of season confession I have much less ambition for this year's kitchen garden. I'm thinking... sunflowers, tomatoes, peas, carrots, some greens in the raised bed and of course figuring out how to tame the perennial raspberries and strawberries that threaten to take over the whole works.

The seed catalogs started arriving before Christmas. Good grief! Who has time to look at seed catalogs in December?

I'm still not motivated to pick them up. I'm going simple this year and not much needs to be ordered (someone please remind me I said this come March). Celine however is motivated to go through them. She's starting to plan the expansion of her perennial beds. Currently she has two and I can see I'm going to have to concede more of my precious garden space to this up and coming Tougas gardener.

I wish she had more interest in vegetables. She could have the whole raised bed if she wanted to experiment with kohlrabi, okra, celeriac, artichokes and fava beans.

Instead she wants to plant perennials just like her mama. Taking away the small strip of soil that I prepared last year for the perennials I was going to plant this season.

So far this is what she's circled in the catalog. Columbine, Delphinium, Perennial Sweet Pea, Butterfly Weed and Agastache - don't ask me I don't know what it is either! Of course I'm thrilled that my 9 year has such an interest in gardening. But I'm beginning to see the garden will no longer be mine to do as I please. Looks like this season I'm going to learn how to share the dirt.

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