My Garden New Year's Resolution?

To find one.

I was looking at Facebook this morning and saw several posts about "Gardening New Year's Resolutions". At first I didn't know what mine would be, then I said, "To find one."

Literally, my garden resolution for 2015 is to find a garden I can work in.

Since starting this blog, I had a plot for 2 years at a community garden and I've tried container gardening on the deck of our townhouse. While I enjoyed the planting, growing and watering, both experiences left me wanting to try something different. (The community garden had a soil related bug infestation, I got tired of fighting it). So, I went back home to try container gardening.

But, last summer I ran into a wall, I had plans for container garden of veggies and flowers on the deck. But discovered that it was no longer as sunny as it had been in the past. Turns out a tree I'd planted had created a shade garden on our deck. The vegetables I planted didn't do so well.

Last summer's container garden.

I'd brought an Alder start when I moved here 4 years ago and planted it in the only open spot in the tiny back yard. Now it is almost as tall as our 3 story townhouse and casts shade on most of the back deck both upstairs and below. This is an example of my haphazard gardening methods. Basically, I only plan up to a point, then nature dictates, while I scramble to adapt. 

I'm not willing to cut down the tree (yet), so my planting options are very limited. I could plan a shade loving list of veggies. Truth is I've stopped planning. Next year we are going to look for a house with a yard - for me and the dog. That unknown landscape will offer it's own challenges. 

I have learned a lot in the last 3 years and I know the direction I want to go: organic gardening, composting, raised beds and a combination of flowers and edibles. Each of these are a result of what I've recently learned through trial and error.

Organic gardening was the method preferred at the community garden, once I caught on I couldn't imagine gardening or growing food any other way. Composting - I just don't have room for here, but wish I did it's a win/win situation.

Raised beds seem the way to go in order to have some control of the soil. And a mix of flowers and edibles, in the past I was content growing annuals and perennial flowers. But after the community garden vegetable bonanza, I want more edibles and year-round, and space to plant them.

Community gardening

Perhaps "adapt" might  be my new word for 2015. I only realized recently that I needed a new word for 2015 and now it's here. Last year my word was "Gratitude", I knew that I had to make a spot for it here on my blog or I would abandon it. Here, on my last post for 2014, is my last Gratitude post.

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Gratitude has been my word for 2014

I know that what people say about gratitude seems to be at work for me.
Focusing on what makes me happy, who is in my life, and all the odds and ends, have resulted in a true sense of abundance in my life. 

I am grateful for the big things and the little.

I spent most of 2014 preoccupied with planning for our wedding in November. The other preoccupation has been my dad's health. Diagnosed with Leukemia in January, he made it to our wedding and has plans for New Year's Day. I wrote a post about him last January, you can read it here. Before his illness he read my blog first thing, and in doing so became my 'biggest fan'. He has been quite stoic during this long illness, and because he would never say it, I will. 

It sucks.

I am grateful for my family, for each person doing the best they could.