The 2016 Garden

Happy New Year!

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2015 – The Garden Review

It was a great year for the garden! I removed what little grass was left, so the growing space expanded. I had a respectable crop of spinach, but a small crop of sugar snap peas, broccoli and blueberries – likely due to the very warm and dry winter. This summer I had my first “real” (more than a handful) crop of raspberries, blackberries and figs, and as usual, the strawberries were delicious.

The tomatoes went crazy – and I still have a few sungold orange cherries (in December!)- they just won’t quit! While the plant has gotten quite spindly, I can’t bear to dig it up since it’s still flowering and fruiting. Time will tell if it will make it through the winter.  One of my most prolific tomato plants came up as a compost volunteer in a relatively shady spot, so I might intentionally plant there next year.

2015 – The Year of the Garden

In 2012 and 2014 (I don’t know what happened to 2013), I wrote “3 Words” posts – a few choice words to guide me through the year. As much as I love the idea of the New Year as a blank slate and a time to start fresh, I’m just not feeling it this year.

3 Words for 2014

I joined the “3 Words” club in 2012, with this New Years Day post, followed a few months later by an update. I loved the idea of starting the year with a few words, a mantra of sorts, that would inspire and motivate me. I’m not sure what happened in 2013 – I think I was still stuck on Resilience, Rejuvenation, and Serenity.

2013 – As seen through the garden

Yes – it’s time to assess 2013 – as seen through the garden…

2012 – Year In Review

Anyone who spends just a few minutes with me knows how important my garden is – it’s my inspiration, my therapist, and my friend. I’m still relatively new to gardening – just 2 years in – but I’m fortunate to be able to take advantage of the mild Southern California climate and a fair amount of beginner’s luck.

My 3 Words

Happy New Year!

To me, those words always carry such hope and optimism – out with the old, in with the new; a time to develop and cultivate new (healthy) habits, make better decisions, and live a better life. We’ve all had experience with resolutions, and while I’m not a big fan of formal ones, it is tempting to make at least a mental list of the things that I want to do better, and the things I want to accomplish personally and professionally in the New Year.