The number one thing to cure a black thumb

I love to garden!  While raised by parents who gardened extensively, as a kid I hated to get in the garden.  I would've rather cleaned house than have to work in the garden.  As an adult that changed.  My mom once told me of all of her children I was the last one she thought would garden, and at the time I was the only one who did.  It all started with two tomato plants, and now?

I'm telling ya, once the garden bug bites, there's no going back!  There's always one more thing to try, one more experiment.  Volunteer garden plants love my garden so much they come every year.  My garden is The Place To Be.  I'm just sayin.

 In the past, I've had people tell me they have a black thumb, not a green one.  "I can't grow anything" they tell me.  Well I'm here to tell you the secret to curing your black thumb.

Are you ready?

Are you sitting down?


Time.

That's it! Time.

I know right!?  It really is that easy.  Plants already know what they need to grow up and produce, but it takes your time with them to make sure they have everything they need.

We don't have children, just ignore them, and say "I can't raise kids".  Now I'm not saying my plants are as important as my children.  But the premise of raising both holds true.

Plants take time.

Time to walk among them and see how they're doing.  Do they need water?  Are they thriving?  Are there weeds taking nutrients that are meant for them?  Do they need harvesting?  You know there are a lot of books and websites that can help you trouble shoot any problems that might arise.  That's all I do.  If I see a problem I don't have an answer for, I look in a book or surf the web.  The answers are readily available.

Time to pull weeds, give them water, give them nutrients as needed, loosen soil so they can breathe, and address any other situations that arise.

I understand people have busy lives, and can't have a big garden.  There's no rule that says you have to have a certain size garden.  It can be one plant or hundreds.  It's up to you.  Just don't have more garden than you can handle.  Start small.  There's no greater feeling than to see that first plant breaking thru the ground, or that first bloom, or even that first tiny veggie.  Nothing tastes better than something you picked that day to eat.

So start small, but start!  Don't let this be something that intimidates you.  You won't regret it.  You just might find out you enjoy it.  Fresh Air, sunshine, good workout, the sound of bees buzzing and birds singing.  It's a wonderful combination.  Well worth your time.  And when the time comes(cause, fair warning, it will) that your garden is producing enough to put away for a rainy day, you'll look with satisfaction at those jars lined up on the shelf, or in freezer bags in the freezer.  You'll have a little smile on your face as you casually stroll past the canned vegetable aisle, or frozen vegetable/fruit aisle.

Umm speaking of getting bitten by the gardening bug.