The Charmed Garden

My first attempt at a real garden was when COVID ever so "gently" asked us to stay home, shutting everything down in March of 2020. My neighbor gave us a few seedlings, and we ended up with peas, spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes galore. I planted seeds, most of them blessing us with their beauty, so we found ourselves swimming in flowers and veggies. So the obvious choice was to do it again this year!

I decided to focus this year on things we would eat more of instead of growing a bunch of different things, growing more of what we love. My seed order was full of lettuces, spinach, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs. I wanted to give mint a try again as well as lavender. And, of course, our usual zinnias and snapdragons. We added our usual painted rock "welcome" sign with Doc making sure all was well in the front of the house. Plus Gaia to bless us on the back deck.

My lettuce and spinach sprouted but didn't continue to grow. The zucchini eventually had two little sprouts that rotted before they got big enough to eat. The cucumbers started to grow and then just stopped and started to rot. All of which was very frustrating and left me feeling a bit defeated.

I would have given up if not for my lavender and mint! I have multiple pots of lavender, and it's thriving. I also have peppermint, sweet mint, spearmint, and, thanks to a friend, chocolate mint! I have even propagated the mint and planted some in the front of the house. I am excited to say my black mint thumb has left the garden!

Our zinnias are doing well, even though one of our planters didn't produce anything for the first time in years. Lavender sprouted in the front along with snapdragons! My replanted iris bloomed in their new home on the side of the house. And all my indoor plants lived through the winter and continue to brighten my day. Even my orchid is still alive; it may not be flowering, but it's still green, and that's something!

So I will take the lesson of this year's garden as this: Sometimes what we are used to or expecting to grow lies stagnant, giving room for some things, we never thought would take root, the space to grow and thrive wonderfully. All in all a win for The Charmed Garden!