Great Reductions
By Andrea Peck
When I began gardening I had visions of long, furrowed rows. A farm, really. My home is small, but the lot is large enough. Were I to till the land and plant the length of it, I suppose we would have enough to feel farmish.
It took me a really, really long time to realize that this was an entirely unnecessary fantasy. The discrepancy between what our family used and my warped hallucinations was like cold water between glaciers. A gnat of an idea buzzed in my head that I did not need a mini-ranchette.
I think the drought this year finally silenced my gnat. He could die now, happily, because his work was done. I get it; I do not need that much food.
I see this same inclination in other gardeners. They are so hungry for the goal that I can feel giant pumpkin leaves coming out of their ears.
The best part about this drought and vegetable gardening is that we do not need to go big or go home. We can be thoroughly satisfied with small spaces, small containers and with the right methods, we are able to glean more from less.
When I began, I was not successful with lettuce. The snails got it. Everytime. They were so stealthily slow. Finally, I decided to make a very small, mini bed out of bricks. The snails could not enter my lettuce domain because on top of the bricks I placed an old bathroom window screen. My tiny bed was less than 1' x 18” but I got enough lettuce out of it to have salads continually for months. I simply re-seeded portions as needed. My plot was underneath a tree and that sheltered the lettuce from the hot sun. Simultaneously, the tree and the lettuce acted as mulch – they both kept moisture in and because of that, both required less water. Win, win.
There are other tricks: raised beds, containers, vertical gardening and little areas within the garden itself. I have decided that I like to keep most of my edibles close to the house. They are easier to water and care for this way. They are also in a less sunny portion of the yard, which cuts down on watering and prevents early bolting in some plants. I notice with my pumpkins that I don't need to find a way to pack a whole package of seeds. I like to have about two plants just to make sure one of them produces. One year I gave away 8 sugar pie pumpkins from one plant. I still had many left for pie making. Yes, all from one plant! This year I had the kids smash a few leftover pumpkins. Soon thereafter, pumpkin seedlings sprung up all over the place.
Often we forget that many vegetables are annuals that will not need a permanent space. Keep your soil useable throughout the year by maintaining good soil. Compost and mulch are great places to start.
As my learning has evolved, so has my image of my garden. No longer is it a static spread of dirt. It is teeming and alive. As I gain skills, my goals become sharper and leaner. I do not need a large herd of a garden; I need an agile leopard ready to pounce.