Coveting My Neighbor's Garden

My next door neighbor, Jennifer, is all thumbs - green thumbs, that is. Her garden is insane. Every time I walk past I turn green with envy - if only that green could translate into my own plants! Her garden is lush and leafy and looks as though it were grown by a true professional. How does she do it?

My Neighbor's Garden, the Happiest Place on Earth

I caught my neighbor last night as she was trying to enjoy a stroll around the block with her one-year old son. She was kind enough to give me some of her tips, tricks, and deepest, darkest secrets to having a garden that turns heads. Don't worry, there is no animal sacrifice or selling of souls involved.

Ignore the Calendar
I felt like a rebel this year when I set out most of my plants and seeds before Mother's Day. Jennifer shared with me that she follows no such stringent guidelines or old-wives-tales about waiting until that magical weekend to insure plants against frost. Using common sense and perhaps a bit of projection about our early spring, she set out the bulk of her garden in April. The sunflowers that are literally well-visible over the privacy fence were planted in March! I had long thought that only peas and lettuce were fair game that time of year, but the sunflowers alone prove me wrong.

Use Manure and Compost
Quite a revelation, huh? Any blog or gardening guide around the web is going to tell you to use manure and compost for your garden. However, those of us with small gardens or who just don't like the smell of manure may decide to go a different route. I purchased bags of Miracle Grow soil at Walmart. It certainly won't kill my plants, but I won't have the same kind of yield as the garden next door. Next year, I'm going to be knee deep in poo.

Fertilize with Wood Ash
My neighbor added wood ash to her garden as a fertilizer. I have read mixed advice about the pros and cons of wood ash and I have been scared to give it a try. A good idea might be to use some wood ash in a container to see how it positively or negatively affects a plant. Look at this link for some tips on using wood ash if you are interested in learning more.

Leafy and Green Does Not Equal High Yields
Jennifer reminded me last night that garden plants can grow significantly yet have little to no yield. She encouraged me not to gauge the success of her garden on the size of her plants but on the amount of fruits and vegetables produced. Basically, she was telling me to stop being so jealous of her gardening skills and to get over it, but what she was saying is true. Over-fertilization can actually cause plants to focus efforts on growing more leaves, but that usually draws from fruit production. I have faith that Jennifer's garden will produce more than enough to support her family and all of the family's on the block, but that does remain to be seen.

If you find yourself face-to-face with a successful gardener, my advice to you is to not belittle your own efforts. Try to learn from these people; often, they are not only willing but also eager to share their knowledge. Keep asking, keep learning, and eventually, people will start coming to you with gardening questions such as these.