Gardening in Western North Carolina has been a great experience and this year I am really getting back into it.The first few years I lived here I was on a mountain top in Bat Cave and I was still learning what to do here. Coming from the farming state of Iowa, I was very challenged trying to figure out the different timing for everything. I think this year, though still too late for the lettuce and spinach, I feel I have it down and am ready to go.
I have been out cleaning up my garden space in the back yard and turning dirt to get it ready for planing. A friend thought I was crazy for hand digging it, but I just can't imagine using a tiller. It just wouldn't be the same. I have a small space, about 25 X 25 feet, and hope to stuff as much as I can into it this year. Last year I hand dug and cleared the spot and the last year I have been composting into it to build it up. It looks nice and rich, better than when I first turned it last year. I was so spoiled in Iowa where the dirt is just rich and black with nutrients. But I will build this space out to a rich black eventually as well.
I did start my lettuce and spinach this weekend, and perfect timing. It started to rain just after I finished. But I fear that I am about a month too late for here. It will be interesting to see how that goes. Next weekend I will start to add my plants and seeds. I am hoping for tomato's, peppers, potato's and corn at the very least. I also bought some gourd seeds and hope to make some birdhouses out of them.
Last year I started the perennial foods. I put in asparagus, strawberries, red raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb. They are all doing well. I planted 4 cherry trees and this winter pruned them nervously. It paid off and they are filling out and even have a few cherries on each tree. Since this is a great apple producing area I am going to be looking for some good apple trees and maybe peach or plum as well. I am really excited about getting all of this in this year, so that soon I can start to see the fruits of my labor.
Gardening, for me has been such a good therapy. I can really lose myself in the process of digging, planting, weeding, and watering. I love the quiet time, and enjoy the birds on the feeders around the property. There doesn't seem to be anything better to me than a good day in the garden, and in the winter it is unbelievable how I can miss it. So I spend most of the winter drooling over gardening books, and seed catalogs. I always end up with such big plans, impossible to do it all.
I am really looking forward to this year in Western North Carolina. I hope that it will be my best year yet. If you are gardening in the Hendersonville NC area, let's share tips.
Happy Gardening!
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