In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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March 5, 2008

Garden momentum growing

What a glorious few days we’ve had. Except for the chilly breeze, it was perfect gardening weather.

And garden I did.

I cleared away the remnants of the broccoli from one bed, thinned the chives and dug onions. Sadly, the onions weren’t ready, but now they’re compost.

I cut back the roses and the kniphofia. I pulled away the dead leaves from around the daylilies, dug out horseradish roots -- they’ll certainly come back -- trimmed long dead asters and cannas and tidied up the callas. I filled a huge wheelbarrow twice, and made a small dent in the garden.

But it’s a start, and now I can see clearly what still needs to be done.

Getting started each spring is the hardest part. A week ago I stood at the top of the vegetable garden almost in tears at what a mess it had become over the winter. All winter it seemed there was just enough rain and bad weather to keep me out of the garden. Whenever I was home, it was either too dark to garden or raining. When I was at work, the sun would shine. The dead corn stalks mocked me. The tomato cages still filled with last year’s vines haunted me. The weeds smirked and kept growing.

No longer. The vegetable garden is 90 percent tidied. I still need new bark for the paths, and one more bed needs to be weeded, but I planted radishes directly in the ground, and sowed tomatoes, lettuce and more in pots.

I've made a start, and nothing can stop the garden now.

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