Gardening Resolutions

This year I’m going to make the most of my rented 4 x 8 foot garden plot and here’s how I plan to do it.

1. Make the most of my space. Last summer I planted something called pineapple sage. It came in a four-inch pot that grew to take over much of my plot. While it was a gorgeous plant with flaming red flowers blooming in fall, it overtook my garden. Next spring I vow to do a little more research on every single thing I plant in my garden.
2. I will not succumb to garden envy and plant things just because my garden neighbors are growing it. I wasn’t planning on growing tomatoes last year, but they were thriving in other plots. So I bought a tomato plant sometime in late July and got one whole tomato the entire season. My disappointing crop was due to late planting and also because of that pineapple sage depriving the tomatoes of sunlight.
3. I will grow more from seed. Last year I planted plenty of seeds, but grew impatient and ended up planting over them with seedlings from the nursery.
4. I’ll get the kids more involved. They love spotting butterflies on the flowers and picking strawberries, but I’d like to get them more active in planning the garden with me. This should be a fun process and I’m looking forward to challenging them (and myself) a bit more.

Vanessa Tsumura lives in Wisconsin with her family. She blogs about crafts and DIY projects at Bluet & Clover.