Seed catalog morning

It is a cold, snowy morning.  The sun isn't even close to coming up.  For the first time this season the Christmas lights are shining off of snow.  It is the perfect day to look over seed catalogs.

You would think by now I would have had my fill of plant catalogs.  I had a very able assistant who lined up most of our annual orders and took care of setting up our deliveries.  Still, this past couple weeks has found me knee-deep in confirmations, delivery dates, order adjustments and additions to our present level of service to include some hot house vegetable crops.  This has not dimmed my desire to open up my own catalogs and seed box to start planning MY GARDEN!
I am excited about the prospect of having a much larger space to use this year.  Neglect and repeated sowing of weed seeds are going to make this space a challenge.  I am sure that I will not be whizzing through my beds like I was at home in my tidy 4x8 raised beds.  
I will be able to grow some of those crops that I didn't have the room for.  I will be able to put in some squash and pumpkins in hopes of harvesting from my own plot.  I will also be able to rotate my crops to their best advantage, provided the soil doesn't already harbor some of the nasty diseases I am hoping to avoid.  
I am also excited to open up my seed box and take inventory.  I know that I will have some new items to choose from even before opening a catalog.  Our summer trip to Decorah, Iowa and Seed Savers Exchange put more seeds in my box in mid-summer than I would normally consider adding.  First, Seed Savers participated in the Nordic Fest parade in Decorah and handed out packages of their 2014 seeds.  Not a problem as most seeds have viability for several years when stored in a cool, dry environment.  After the fest, we went to visit their facility where I loaded up on some of their 2015 seeds.  These are all heirloom varieties with stories from whence they came.  I highly recommend a trip to Seed Savers when you find yourself in northeast Iowa.  It is beautiful farm country with rolling hills.
I also have my hold overs from my usual crops.  It will take a bit of inventory to decide what still needs to be added to the mix.  I left my herb garden behind with few exceptions, so I guess that is one place to start.
My new garden has another consideration in its design.  I know that I will have to deal with woodchucks, rabbit, rodents, and deer (we have a few still inside our deer-exclusion fence).  There will have to be a lower fence dug in to keep out the small critters and a higher blockade for the larger critters.
I will have to work the soil as it is very hard.  The trailer full of composted cow manure barely made a dent in the area that I needed to cover with some organic matter.  My plan is to rake up raised beds from the ground.  This way I can still square foot garden without putting in a wood-sided raised beds.  This is a temporary place for me after all.  I will save the time and money for a place we can call our own again.  I will mulch the paths heavily to try and keep some of the weeds at bay.  Hopefully, I can plant dense enough to help shade out some of those noxious weeds.  I do plan on putting in a cover crop to add some green manure to soil as well.
So with hopeful heart and seed catalog dreams, I will plan the perfect garden.  If wishing only kept out the weeds.

A long hiatus from writing

Seed Savers Exchange near Decorah, Iowa

International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference in Milwaukee, WI Tour de Trees finish line.

New plants in new places.  Jade Princess penisetum with Prairie Sun Rudebeckia

Just a couple of girls out for an afternoon walk.

A beautiful sunset dotted by chimney swifts in flight.

Morning coffee with some old friends in a new place.

I love to write about gardening almost as much as gardening itself.  This past growing season has been a whirlwind of changes.  My job took me into a new position at my former greenhouse experience.  Taking on the job as manager at the end of April is challenging enough in a greenhouse operation.  Add in a full-scale tree nursery and you have one big task to tackle.  I am thankful for the capable people who worked very hard to get the work done as quickly as they could.  Add in a very wet spring followed by a very wet June into July and not much can be done on time.  We have persevered.

There are new digs which come with the job.  I am enjoying the quiet and the neighbors are mostly wildlife.  My husband and I are still trying to settle into a normal routine.  I miss my gardens and the familiarity of the plants I have placed there, moved around and brought into a mature garden.  I leave them in the care of my daughter and her husband to continue on.  I hope to make some divisions and bring a few old friends to our new home.  There are lots of gardens here, but they are mostly for stock plants and they aren't really mine.  I enjoy looking at them but I have no ownership of them.  My pots that made the trip with me hold the key to my heart more than any of the other plants around me.

The summer also had some wonderful highlights.  The International Society of Arboriculture held its annual conference in Milwaukee.  I attended everyday and took in as many lectures and sessions as possible.  I came away with new things to take by to my job.  Connecting with so many other professionals is always great.  Meeting up with old friends is the highlight of these events.

I also took a camping vacation with my husband.  We love to drive the back roads.  We drove through the driftless area of southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa.  Seed Savers Exchange was in the area and I was able to stop in to see the gardens and purchase some heirloom seeds.  We found cheese factories, quilt shops, and miles of Mississippi River roads to travel.  I recommend the area very much for those who enjoy beautiful scenery.

Fall is just around the corner.  I do not have mountains of tomatoes to can (most of the plants died from wilt that I did not have time to diagnose).  I have enjoyed the pole beans and froze about eight pints for winter use.  The lettuce and spinach were wonderful with the cool moist weather.  I did not get in the succession crops so my soil is empty where onions, radishes and other vegetables have been harvested.  I miss the bush beans and the soy beans never left the package.  No flowering kale will grace may gardens this year as they are also still in their packages.  I hope I find them all for next year after moving them all.  I still haven't found the power cord for the massage chair.

I need to find that delicate balance between work and home gardens.  So much of what I do centers around plants.  Leaving the work mentality behind so I can savor those private moments in my patch will be my new goal.  I have a winter to set a plan to do that.