By Tim Joyce, KOIN Local 6 Environmental Reporter

I admit it freely- I am a miserable gardener- but I do love trying. I can remember the first time I saw a seed sprout. It must have been in third grade when we planted pumpkin seeds. To see one germinate and become a small plant was a lesson of nature and rebirth that I didn’t see really anywhere else I my neighborhood just outside of Chicago.

As a homeowner now, I purposefully wanted to have a garden. Living most of my adult life in Oregon- I have come to appreciate the urban and near-urban agriculture that exists all around us.

My garden right now consists of two raised beds. They’re about two by six feet. I try to grow vegetables that I like to eat. I try to keep it simple. If I try to get too complicated the garden tends to go untended. Last season: broccoli, squash, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, jalapenos, onions, some beans, sugar snap peas and a few different kinds of tomatoes.

As of this writing, there are a few onions that survived the winter frost and snow. There’s some kale I planted in December. And underground, there’s always the horseradish, just waiting to be dug up for a tasty addition to nearly any dish. (Fresh horseradish, by the way, is incredibly strong and potent when just out of the ground).

But, there’s more to my edible backyard than just the garden. There are raspberry canes, a plum tree (with two kinds of plums), two apple trees, a dwarf blueberry bush, a fig tree (which I’m not a big fan of), rosemary, lavender, and an arbor that grows concord grapes (they have seeds, but they taste like candy).

There was a very small pear tree when I bought the house in 2007—but the dog thought it was a stick and chewed right through it. I also used to have a strawberry patch, but the dogs took care of that. I didn’t mind all that much since they were june-bearing strawberries—which means they only fruit once a year. I’m thinking some ever-bearing varieties might be a better fit with my love for strawberries. I also think they would do better in a location where the dogs can’t trample on them as much.

Of course, with any garden there’s always the balance of great ideas with the actual time you have to get dirty. A good example: the arbor vitae trees on the outside of my fence are now tall enough that they shade the raised beds. It was noticeable last season with the jalapeno plant and the tomatoes. They really don’t enjoy the shade- and their yield was considerably less than I would have hoped for. And with last summer’s weather—they really didn’t like the shade with the cooler, wetter season. I could trim the trees back to allow more sun into the yard. But, here’s where my wild ideas get the best of me. Since the trees were damaged somewhat from the heavy snowfall in December, my current wild idea is to take out the arbor vitae completely. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of them anyway. I’d rather plant fruit trees in that spot using a form of cropping called “espalier”. It’s a French word that means pruning fruit trees two dimensionally—so they almost form a fence. I have great southern exposure to do that, but it’s more of a confidence issue as to my skill level to make it happen. So, I always seem to have that struggle between great idea and time/money for making it happen.

 I also want to put in the ground in the parkway at my house (the land between the city sidewalk and the street) some blueberry bushes. I want to make sure I choose the right location for them. Blueberry bushes can last more than 60 years. There are some scrubby trees in the parkway that might have to go though. They’re more shrubs than trees, though.

Most of what I’ve learned about gardening was through the OSU Extension Service Master Gardener classes last year. It helped develop my gardening philosophy: gardening is fun for the experimentation of it all. I think you learn from the failures probably as much as from the successes. In discussion groups in classes and some of the lunch seminars, it was really interesting to hear that there’s more than one right way to do things. Learning how to treat plants and the soil, seems important to note too, so that you work with nature and not against it.  I also continue to learn when I volunteer for the OSU Master Gardener hotlines. There are several in the Portland area you can call with your gardening questions. You can find your local Extension office by following this link: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/locations.php

There are also lots of garden shows coming up which can provide great inspiration and know-how as well. But, I would caution the novice gardener—which I still consider myself by many measures—start small. Starting small means it’s manageable and you’re more likely to find some initial success. Some initial success in your gardening adventure can give you the momentum to carry through and learn from mistakes—and there will be many of those.

For me, gardening is a fun hobby that connects you with nature and the changing of the seasons. It can be a great reminder about where your food comes from, and it can be a blessing to have the knowledge and confidence that all of your healthy fruits and vegetables don’t always have to come from a grocery store.

Now, go forth and plant! -TJ