This year, there was less to do and more time to do it.
The newness was exciting. Not that it feels same-old, but what felt like a headlong dive into unknown territory has become a comfortable pace. The biggest question last year was "Will it work at all?". This year its "Can i do it again?"
Last year there were more fun plants, ones i have never tried before. This year is a bit more practical and based on last year's successes.
This year, less panicking.
Less measuring.
Fewer copies of drawing plans- thanks to the GrowVeg subscription.
Less work- all the row cover socket pieces were already cut.
Most of the stuff that needed to be bought and prepared has been done all the way from buying and measuring the row cover fabric to buying and fitting the PVC row cover supports.
I have my All American pressure canner, my Excalibur dehydrator.
I didn't buy much, had most of my seeds already- a few berry plants, a fruit tree.
Above mentioned equipment are reusable as intended. Flats saved from last year, lights for seedlings, mini greenhouse- not even needed this year... all those strings and stakes i used to mark the rows because i wasn't convinced it was all going to fit
The garden is even more conservative. Mostly made up of the things that did well last year. Extra broccoli and cabbage in case of woodchuck damage. I plan to use hoops and row cover on them once the seeds have sprouted. I have already seen woodchucks beyond the fence.
It just seems strange. Last year was such a flurry of activity, this year is placid. I almost feel like i forgot something.
The only things i'm experimenting with this year is seed saving, the field corn, and i might buy some greenhouse plastic to hold off frosts at the end of the season- maybe try a bit of late planting.
Besides that it was pretty straight-forward.
I got the asparagus bed started, i know what to expect from Jerusalem artichokes, i understand how to prune an apple tree. I know my grapes all made it through the winter and my elderberry did too. Now i get to see if i will get some fruits from them. I have welsh onions that are perennial for garlicky green onion flavor.
I have everything perennial in its place. Now its just upkeep and harvest.
Sounds fun to me!
