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             The Gardener Guy of Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Reflections on Gardening

I am humbled by seeds. It is amazing to me that on January 1 of this year I planted a speck of living matter - five, really - and that by January 21 two little green plants had poked their noses up out of a green ceramic pot of peat moss. The seeds I planted were of the species Pseudotsuga menziesii or Douglas fir, a species of tree that is native to the West where it may reach 100 feet tall in 50 to 75 years. I look at these little plants every day and wonder: are they the Rocky Mountain type that is hardy to Zone 4, or the Pacific variety that is only hardy to Zone 6? The kit was a gift, and it didn't specify.

I am prepared to raise and nurture at least one of these seedling trees indoors for the next 10 years. I would like to see if I can raise a healthy Douglas fir indoors and use it as a Christmas tree. I will re-pot it and carry it outside each spring, hauling it back inside in the fall. Of course, not all trees will be happy living in pots, and probably this one will, at some point, ask for its freedom.

I am humbled by the beauty of flowers. Each species, each variety is different, and really, there are few that I don't want to grow. Some 99.9% of all flowers I have seen seem worthy of garden space. I am a plant collector, and have grown over 200 species or varieties of flowers. I basically use this simple principle: if it can be grown in New England, even southern New England, I want to give it a try in my garden.

Of course I have given up on some plants. I use the "three-strikes" rule. If I kill a type of plant 3 times I give up. I gave up on growing peaches here after losing 2 full sized trees over a 15 year period. It's too darn cold in Cornish Flat. This winter, the coldest since 1994, confirms my wisdom (?) of giving up on peaches - even the one developed at the University of New Hampshire, the variety called "Reliance".

My second Reliance peach produced just 3 peaches the year before it died. But I had pruned it to a beautiful lollipop shape and it had dozens of fruit spurs ready for the next summer. I knew it would be loaded with mouth-watering fruit. I dreamt about it. I talked to it. When it failed to leaf out that spring I was momentarily devastated. Then I said to myself, "Well, what I have here is a magnificent trellis for vines". Blooming vines. So I grew scarlet runner beans and morning glories and who-knows-what-all up it. The trellis lasted 3 years or so and then the wood rotted and I cut it down.

I am humbled by the natural ability of Nature to recycle itself. Every weed I pull, every load of fall leaves I rake up goes to use. It is broken down by microbes and earthworms, bacteria and fungi, and rotifers and actinomycetes. And things whose names I don't even know.

I'm lazy when it comes to recycling ¡Ì I don't turn and mix and layer green and brown waste to get magazine-cover chocolate cake-colored compost in 8 weeks. I throw it all in big piles. And eventually I use it when it is all broken down. Sometimes I leave compost piles for so long - years - that what I end up with really is no more than dark, rich soil. But I need that, too. Good soil is key to good gardens.

I am humbled by the persistence of weeds. I've read that seeds removed from an ancient Egyptian tomb were viable after thousands of years, though that may be more lore than truth. I know that weeds in my soil persist for years. Heck, even common cucumber seeds in a packet will last 5 years if stored in a cool, dark place. Weeds are of tougher stuff, and they persist for many years- germinating despite our best efforts to keep them dormant.

I've learned over the years that the best way to keep weeds under control is to mulch the garden. Among other things, weeds generally have photo-triggers to let them know when they are close enough to the surface to germinate successfully. Buried 8 inches down by your rototiller or covered with mulch they will sit and wait their time - until they see light and then - "Bingo!" - off they go. That"s one reason I sold my rototiller.

So, yes, gardening would be good training for any would-be President of the United States of America. Introduce your children to it now if they're so inclined. It is humbling. It teaches persistence and the value of hard work. It brings you new friends, new skills, new knowledge. And a little bit of backbone. After all, if someone develops a hardier peach variety, I'll give it a try. Maybe that's just silliness, but I think, "Yes, I can."

Henry Homeyer is the author of 3 gardening books. His Web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com.