No jokes this year, that’s for sure. I guess you could say we are all the butt of a really bad joke right now, we have been put in a time out of biblical proportion!! Whatever you equivocate this to, it’s hopefully a once in a lifetime ordeal. Let’s not forget that it could be way worse, we are blessed to have the internet, we are blessed to have each other, we are blessed to be able to go outside and enjoy nature. We can learn new hobbies and skills and most of all, we can take control of our circumstances to a degree and grow a garden.

On the days that are just too soggy to get out and garden, I’ve been watching many YouTube videos about gardening and prepping. Before now I followed these pages anyway, but they have been very active recently with posts about victory gardens, being proactive, preparing for food shortages, etc. One page I follow is Guildbrook Farm. They are a lovely family of four that in the past have done some great canning and cooking videos. This year, they decided to step it up a notch and plant their very own victory garden. They even suggested trying an app to help you plan out your garden space. I couldn’t find the app, but I did download another app I am going to try. Learning where to plant and not plant things is a huge help. Some things just don’t play nice next to each other, so this guidance could be invaluable.

Something I did also want to mention was to not be discouraged. I mean it. Sometimes seeds don’t sprout, sometimes plants die. There are many animals and diseases that are just itching to get a hold of the fruits of your labor….that’s their job. There are ways we can mitigate this threat, things we can do for prevention. But as much as we try, sometimes we will not achieve the desired outcome. It’s okay. I don’t care if you have grown veggies for five years or fifty years, there will be times your efforts will be defeated. It’s called farming, not growing, for a reason.

Another thing I wanted to touch on was these videos and blogs I’ve been pointing out to you along the way. YouTube for me has been a fantastic resource for all things garden. I literally learned from WEBCAJUN most everything I know!! He broke growing down into small words, he explained things simply. He had a huge plot he worked that would make the average suburban home gardener envious. I was working a four by eight foot patch up against the side of my house when I first started listening to Donald. He had tractors and tools I could only dream of running, he pulled them out on a regular basis. In my opinion, he was living the dream that I am still having difficulty getting to. Many of these videos are made by folks on ten to hundred acre patches of land in the middle of the woods. Their idea of clearing the garden involves a backhoe and bulldozer. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!! No matter how big or small you decide your growing operation will be, it is still a valuable and viable operation. People grow a great harvest on apartment balconies. People swear by containers on their decks. There is no stopping a dream from becoming a reality!! Don’t let videos make you feel you aren’t capable, you are very capable!! Even if you start with just one plant, it’s one plant more than you had before. The ideas in the videos are great at getting your brain juices flowing, but don’t feel you must have a patch this big or a pot that small….trying means growing and farming means eating!!!! Don’t ever forget it!! 💜🌱💜