H-F Patch's Gardening Blog: An Intro

This blog begins with a Homewood house: one that listed for sale on a Friday and belonged to me by Monday. It was perfect – walking distance to downtown, close to my kids’ schoolsand with less than 800 square feet of living space, I would be spending a minimum of precious time on house cleaning.

But what clinched the deal for me was the backyard: an expanse of completely unlandscaped grass, surrounded by a fence, sheltered from the wind on three sides by houses and trees but exposed fully to the south. I saw a blank canvas for the garden I’d been planning in my imagination for years, a garden inspired by those I’d visited or seen in pictures or read about.

I wanted to be Mary Lennox, holding her breath in excitement as Dickon cut into a dead-looking branch and showed her how the plant was still “wick.” I wanted all my plants to be wick.

I spent the first spring digging up as much of the grass as I could, and being grateful to my neighbors for politely hiding the looks of consternation on their faces as best as they could. Every year since then my garden has expanded and evolved, sometimes holding true to my original vision but as often as not, moving in a direction that I hadn’t foreseen.

A garden is dynamic, as alive as the plants in it, shifting with the vagaries of the environment and the gardener’s own imagination. As I learn, I change directions, try new ideas; every failure (of which there are many!) is an opportunity for transformation – just as every bunny that destroys one of my new shrubs is an opportunity for stew.

Not really, but I hold fast to the gardener’s inalienable right to gripe.

What brings us to gardening is probably as variable as the gardens themselves. For me, gardening is meditative, relaxing, an outlet for creativity, a way to nourish my family, a finger poke in the ribs that reminds me to get outside and stay active and, for the past three years, a home business.

Whatever the reasons, I am not alone – H-F and its environs are home to many who share this passion for green growing things. This blog will bring you their stories, act as an information exchange, and let you know about events for the green (however pale) of thumb. If you have a suggestion for the blog, please let me know. If you have a foolproof organic solution to get rid of flea beetles, please let us all know.

Please visit Kate at the Homewood Kitchen Gardens stall at the Homewood Farmers Market, every Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm in the . Email us or find us on Facebook!