Yes, this is my garden journal for the Garden of Weedin for February, 2010. But, it is much more than simply a planting journal or gardening record. For the Hillbilly Gardener, it is a gardener resource, to use to help in planning my garden, track my low budget gardening efforts, help me keep track of what worked and what did not. This is a garden history journal to remind the Hillbilly Gardener of the many things he saw, experienced and enjoyed in his Ozarks plateau world. It is a gardener resource to be a help planning a garden and as a reminder of all of the good reasons why the Hillbilly Gardener loves his Garden of Weedin and as a tool to help me remember that everything does not always go well. In fact, sometimes in the Garden of Weedin, some things are a downright disaster. My garden journal helps me to avoid experiencing the same disaster more than once. This IS the garden history journal of the Garden of Weedin and the Hillbilly Gardener here on the Ozarks plateau of Missouri. Perhaps my efforts here will help inspire you or help you to avoid some of my mistakes. If this can be accomplished then this garden history journal will have been successful and the Hillbilly Gardener will be happy. the "Hillbilly Gardener"
Monday / February/ 01 / 2010 - February is picking up where January left off with cold and snow. We got right at 3 more inches of snow yesterday and last night and the temperatures are running about 5 to 10 degrees below normal. This would have been a good year to have a snow blower. Tuesday / February/ 04 / 2010 - I've finally made up my mind regarding some of the seeds and plants I'm going to order this year: Now all I need to do is get the order in the mail. These will all be planted in the raised beds I have built. February 2010 Overall - I'll admit, confess and warn all readers right now that this entry for February may not be an entry of any interest to many and has little in the way of educational value for the average gardener. But for those gardeners facing uncertainty in their gardening lives, there might be a note of interest here. February 2010 ended with so much uncertainty that I'm not sure about anything regarding the garden or outdoors. At this point, it appears an almost certainty that we will be changing residences this year. When, I am not sure at this point and even if it occurred today, it will take a couple of months or more to get up to speed again and a full year to hit a full stride. This leads to the uncertainty regarding the garden. If I go to the effort to plant and we do indeed move, then I loose all that I have done. If we do not move, then I've lost an entire year of growing. At this point, I am certain I will be growing something because I can not keep my hands out of the soil. But, it would appear at this point that the best decision would be to scale back my expectations and develop my container gardening much more. At least that way, the containers and plants in them can go with me. Why move? Well that's an area that is best not gotten into in a public arena at this time and perhaps it would not be prudent or responsible to speak publicly about it at all. Some things in life should remain private for everyone or left to the imagination of the reader in this case. But suffice it to say, many folks face these issues every year. Especially in the troubled times we all face today. The one big difference in this situation that most folks do not face is that everything I have done in this "Garden of Weedin" thus far will of necessity have to go and most things will need to be returned to the state in which they were when I arrived here. So how do I turn this negative into a positive and make it a good year regardless. I do not believe in negatives in life, but rather new challenges and opportunities to grow and learn. I already see, and in many ways look forward to, the opportunity of increasing my efforts at container gardening. I have been advocating this for some time now to my readers and here is my opportunity to get into container gardening as the mainstay of my gardening efforts at this stage in my life. This is an opportunity that I believe can have many positives for gardening, both now and in the future. I made it no secret last year that the Hillbilly Gardener now faces physical limitations that place new challenges on his gardening efforts. Growing in containers of all types, I believe, will provide many opportunities to continue to do what I love best. I also believe this method of gardening can open the door of opportunity for many gardeners facing the inability to garden in the conventional manner of the past. In the past, we enjoyed simply putting shovel to soil for anything we wished to grow and went after it with little thought of what the future might hold. Containers have always been a part of my life, but they were for the most part relegated to the position of an "accent" or a way of growing plants that would need to be moved to warmer locations for winter. But life goes on and changes occur in the physical life of every gardener. It is a fact that few ever give thought of the "long-term" effects of doing anything the way we have always done it when we are young. But, it is a fact of life that many endeavors can, and often do, have long-term effects that do not show up until later in life. Often, at a stage in life when we as humans should be able to enjoy life free from the demands and responsibilities of raising a family. This is one of the "pitfalls of youth that we refuse to consider when we are young and full of vigor. I sometimes wonder, "If we could look down the corridor of life and see what the future holds - would we do things differently?". Somehow, I doubt it. Youth has a way of disbelieving such things as a general rule. The future is an intangible thing for most youth as a general rule. In any case, the past is what it was, the present is what it is and the future is in the Lord's hands. What will I do with the present that can have a positive impact on the future to come? This is the burning question that now faces the Hillbilly Gardener. This is a question that faces us all. How will I answer this question? the "Hillbilly Gardener" Back To The Top | 
