Even though we are still in the midst of the fall garden season, I have been thinking ahead to next spring already. This year, I had a small garden in pots that were set upon a makeshift raised bed. While it wasn’t the prettiest garden out there, it fulfilled my needs for working with plants, growing some herbs and tomatoes, and getting my hands dirty. All of that helped to lift my spirits, and those of Fabgrandpa as well. He told me he had not realized how much he missed having green plants around, and working with them. The little garden was a win win for us both.
Next spring, I am hoping to have a real raised bed garden, that will be bigger, and have more space to plant things. I want to have more than two tomato plants, so that I can have fresh vine ripe tomatoes every day. I also want to plant some zucchini, and make a little bit of okra. I love fresh okra stewed with some garlic, tomatoes, and onion. My daughter, Becca, and her husband Ken have tentatively planned to come down to visit from Virginia to build this raised bed for me. I can hardly wait! Getting through winter is going to be hard. I know I am going to be spending some time looking at gardening websites.
I am also thinking I would like to have a little paved patio, maybe beside the porch, or behind the shed. It would be great to have an area where family and friends could sit in the evening, cook out on the grill, have a fire in a patio firepit, and roast marshmallows. Of course, that would mean I would have to get some outdoor furniture. I will be perusing the internet all winter, looking at different online stores, trying to decide which place would be the best to order a patio table and chairs, an outdoor table, a grill, and a firepit.
While all of this is just a dream right now, and it may never happen, I can still get enjoyment out of the planning and window(s) shopping. Whether I get something that is modern and functional, or something that is beautiful and more ornamental, I can take my time and arrange the outdoor space in my head, and dream about it all winter, while I am snug in my bed under mounds of covers. And who knows, it may become a reality in the end.
Keep the garden going through winter! You can plant frost-tolerant greens like spinach, chard, arugula, mache, cress, and Claytonia. It’s not as exciting as fresh tomatoes, but it’s nice to have something growing during those dreary months.
I hope to have more raised garden beds as well. We have built a few more recently, but we need a lot more. I am hoping to triple my garden size next year.
I’m not really a gardener, but I do like to raise herbs, and I understand that fall is great for herb growing.
We made a raised bed garden for our tomatoes and they have done well these past couple of years.