It honestly couldn’t have been a better weekend for gardening. The weather in Northern Utah finally – FINALLY – is beautiful again. Blue skies, bright sun, warm temps. It’s the weather I’ve been waiting for since October. And I definitely made the most of it. So, I thought it would be fun (for me) to document a little bit of an update for my zone 7a garden.
Not only did I get my garden fully planted, I even helped my sister and her kids get her garden planted! My hands are a bit worse for wear since I chronically forget to wear my gardening gloves before starting, but it’s still worth the sacrifice.
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Zone 7A Garden Update
I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for months, honestly, because it’s the weekend that I transplant all the plant babies I started from seed back in February/March. While this year’s seedlings were definitely more successful than previous years in that they actually survived, some of them still looked a little fragile and anemic. Particularly my tomato plants. I’m hoping they bounce back now that they’re in the ground but we’ll see.
In addition to the usual garden space, we’ve expanded a bit more into our yard. I planted strawberries and asparagus in some of our planters and they already seem to be thriving! I can’t wait to see what they produce next year.
My usual zucchini plant has moved out of the garden and into one of the 4×4 planters in the back half of the yard. I love zucchini but I always end up cursing it later in the season. They just get so damn big! It always seems to encroach on other plants in my garden and makes harvesting a complete pain in the ass. So I’m excited to see how it does on its own with a bit more space.
I’m continuing to add to my herb garden, as well. This year I’ve added tarragon, winter savory, dill, and bay leaf as permanent fixtures in my herb garden. And in addition to my yearly basil plants, I’m giving parsley and cilantro a try again this summer. I attempted to grow them last year with less than impressive results. So, we’ll see if I have better luck this year.
I’m also giving potatoes a try for the first time this year. I don’t have the space currently available to build proper potato bins but I’ve always wanted to grow potatoes. So, so I decided to just give some inexpensive potato bags a try. If I love it, I’ll try to find a permanent solution. But this way if it’s a total flop I’m not out too much time or money.
And finally, because I’m always wanting MORE, I even planted some additional herb plants in our front flower bed. The front flower beds got a bit out of hand over the last few years. So, I’ve been working bit by bit to clean out some of the overgrowth.
I removed one of the vine-y plants from the side of the house and decided it would make a great spot for more herbs. So far I’ve planted bee balm, lavender, lemon verbena, and feverfew.
I have a real tendency to want to do everything all at once. I’m incredibly impatient by nature and constantly feel like I’m about to run out of time. But I keep reminding myself that it’s better to start with what I know I can manage. And, if I’m being honest, last year’s garden what a total train wreck because I didn’t keep up on it and got overwhelmed. So, I’m trying to avoid that this year.
The truth is, I have no idea what I’m doing. There is just so much to learn about cultivating a happy, thriving garden. And I’m in the phase where the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know. And I constantly feel like I’m missing something or screwing up. Because I probably am.
But I’m also feeling incredibly accomplished this weekend. And excited to see what (if anything) my efforts produce.
For now, I just have to try to keep my seedlings alive. And maybe make an offering to the goddess Demeter. I figure it can’t hurt.