Garden description: I garden a typical 1/4 acre suburban development lot where I have lived for over 30 years. I have a vegetable garden, flower beds, a lot of potted flowers, and a new pollinator garden in the curbside lawn “hell strip” between the street and the sidewalk.
Who are the gardeners: I am the gardener for the property as my 84 year old mother lives with me and is unable to do anything outside. My interest in gardening began as a child in my mother’s vegetable garden. Besides my home garden for several years (not this year) I had a big garden in a community garden in Glasgow and several years ago at a local church garden. I can and freeze a lot of my produce by making my own marinara sauce for pasta and hot sauce for chili. I make pickles and relish and freeze peas, corn, black-eye peas, etc. I work for the local soil and water conservation district office.
Why do you garden: Gardening for me is a time to relax, be outside and enjoy growing plants. I actually enjoy weeding on occasion!
How has gardening impacted you during this time: I had more time to spend in my home garden since I did not plant in the community garden this year. I am using the extra time to develop and plant my pollinator beds. A second bed is going in this month.
What do you have in your garden? I have a lot of phlox, mountain mint, toad lily, daylilies, coneflower, rudbeckia, and various native plants (milkweed, joe pye weed, new York ironweed, vervain, etc. I plant a lot of pots using summer annuals for color and variety like petunias, begonias, etc.
Do you have any problems with disease or pests? If so, how are you dealing with this problem? I garden organically so if I have pest issues I use BT or soap sprays or pick off the bugs. This year has not been too bad. I live with slug damage.
