written about my 2023 garden
Last year our first summer in this house. I thought I’d be spending the season working on some big house projects, which didn’t end up working out. So, I put virtually no thought or planning into gardening. Once I discovered I had some time to devote to it, I decided to take an inventory of all of my seeds and then experiment with direct sowing, as I didn’t have time or space to do any indoor seeds starts. Currently, we have no greenhouse or high tunnels. Most of our established plants (from previous residents) are perennials. I decided to use the seeds that I had and focus on cool weather crops, since we were having an especially cool and rainy summer.
This was my first time to grow carrots, radishes, and greens. In Texas, I mostly focused on tomatoes, okra, tomatillos, and herbs, but the reading I did advised that a greenhouse would be necessary to successfully grow these crops in Alaska.
I can be a rather lazy gardener. I’ve been working on lowering the barriers to going out and working in the garden. I found the perfect pair of oversized overalls and sweatshirt at local thrift store Value Village. I keep these items in the coat closet along with my cow printed gardening boots. I love that I can throw them on over whatever I’m already wearing so I don’t have to worry about getting my clothes (or pajamas) dirty or wet. Unfortunately, we have a pretty active mosquito population in the summer, so I also have to thoroughly spray myself down with bug spray. I like to use Murphy’s, because it is one of the least offensive smelling bug sprays I’ve ever used and still quite effective.
I had never put a lot of thought into weeding before, but I’m realizing someone could probably write a whole book on the subject (and probably has). Since most of the garden beds at this house were pre-established and covered under several feet of show over the winter, I’ve been judicious with my weeding, often unsure what was a weed and what was an intentional plant. Also, I learned that there are some plants that have rhizones underground that will just send shoots somewhere else if you pull them up in another area. And there are also “weeds” that will release a chemical in the ground when they’re pulled so that other plants can’t grow there (a warning feature they’ve developed to protect their comrades). Also, the term “weed” is totally relative. All in all, I’m learning that one must “know thine enemy” or even learn to befriend them.
One corner of our backyard has 8 or so trees collected in a relatively small area close to the house, not exactly the most ideal placement. An arborist provided an assessment and pointed out some potential dangers to keep an eye out for and a quote for removing them. There are no immediate issues, but the positions are not ideal. The birch are leaning and splitting, and in one case, pulling themselves up from the ground. The aspen is very close to the roof, and apparently aspen are very brittle trees and prone to breaking. The crab-apple doesn’t have much hope of thriving under the shadow of the spruce and chokeberry and should probably be relocated. And speaking of the chokeberry, it shouldn’t even exist here and is poisonous to moose (we already cut one down in the front yard, not realizing we had an even bigger one in the back). Sigh, all in good time.
The most delightful thing about the garden was being surprised by all of the different blooms that appeared throughout the spring and summer. The previous residents kindly left me a list of their plantings and expected bloom dates, but there were so many beautiful flowers that I felt both overwhelmed and blessed by each new discovery.
Being in the garden inspires and rejuvenates me. There are always future projects to plan. I get to connect with nature. I also like to hang out with my podcast friends while I’m weeding like Emma and Elsie from A Beautiful Mess Podcast or Emily, Henley, & Sammi from Too Scary; Didn’t Watch. And best of all, sometimes I get to bring in beautiful blooms to make a bouquet for my table or harvest vegetables and greens for a lunch salad in the middle of the day. What a delight!
Cozy in Alaska 