I began gardening 3 summers ago (not including the many little plants I was gifted at various points and always ended up killing). It wasn’t until last fall that I got a desire to really try. When I went online and into books, there was so much information that I felt whiplash and confusion about it all. In that time I found Build It Up and was so excited to be a part of this community and their classes. I’m thrilled about Build It Up because it has helped me focus, get accurate information and has provided guidance for me when needed.
A little about my garden this year. I chose to do lasagna garden beds. I took material from our property and I made layers. I made walkways and sections for container gardening. I had HUGE plans. They have not all panned out. I have lost many plants but learning to grow organically is worth every loss. Thanks to BIU I saved my potatoes from a flea beetle attack, identified my bacterial wilt problem due to them connecting us to an agent at the extension office. I accepted when it was time to pull my diseased plants and pruned my tomato plants for the first time. I became excited to go slug hunting at night, learned when to harvest my squash, found out how to succession plant my lettuce, have attended other gardening classes, and realized I wasn’t alone when all that was left to do was to pull out much of my summer garden and just turn to fall planting.
Moving forward I have plans to improve my setup and methods. I’ll be writing down my goals and main objective for the following season. A few things I’ll be working on is better weed management, preserving, and being more proactive about pest management. Gardening has given me a space to breathe, grow, create, and experiment. I can fail and still succeed and that is a beautiful metaphor for growth!
