Are you thinking about trying a garden, but don't know where to start? We've all been there.
The first time I gardened, I picked up the trowel and looked at it. Hard. I wondered what to do next. The pointy end must go in the ground, I finally decided. But I wasn’t really sure.
Although I had grown up on a farm in Kansas and could plow a field driving a John Deere tractor, I didn’t know squat about gardening. So here I was with a “new” old house ( built 1887) and someone had given me a flat of pansies.
I kept them on the back porch steps for a week or so since I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Plant them, sure, but how? So I procrastinated until I saw some of the leaves turning brown and realized I had to do something—anything—before they all died.
And so I picked up the trowel.
Today I have a pretty good garden. People in my neighborhood sometimes walk out of their way to see it.
But I knew absolutely nothing when I began.
When I find myself feeling stupid about computers, I remind myself that nobody was ever born knowing how to use one. Everybody in the world had to be taught.
It’s the same with gardening. Nobody knows how to do it when they start. But everybody can learn. Just like me.
-- Carolyn Ulrich
Chicagoland Gardening magazine is looking for brand-new gardeners to interview for upcoming stories. If you are considering gardening for the first time this spring, or you know someone who is, send us an email with "New Gardener" in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!
