Spring planting

You know, I always tried to restrain myself from too much "crop update"-style posts where I just listed everything that was happening in the garden - but in reality,  I just went back and read the late-May posts for the last two years, and it was really cool.   I really like having photographic evidence of what I have done each year, and feeling like I have some kind of record of the seasons.   For example, yes, this week it is rainy and not the warmest, but it seems like its been a whole lot warmer than it was in past years.  I already have tomatoes and eggplants in the ground, and my lettuce is straight-up edible size.

Also, although I notice that each year I do resolve to "tone it down," as of last May I was still calling for a "no ground left uncovered policy."   If I continue reading into June, however, I see all my frustration: peas that were just starting to bloom when it was time to plant the cucumbers, lettuce that was still producing (and stealing growing time) when I needed to plant the eggplant, etc.

This year I'm not only trying to "plant within my wants" (meaning planting only the things that we will truly eat and want), I"m also refining  from last year - no bean teepee, more eggplants, more arugula, no broccoli (which I don't think I could say no to last year!).   Furthermore, I'm also continuing to plant "within my means" - which means doing the work that feels right, not what "must be done."
 I'm a gardener (i.e., not a farmer) for a reason.   In the springtime it can feel like everything must get done right now.  And it does, a little.   Spring plants have to go in early to have enough time to grow.   On the other hand, feeling like I have to spend all day doing garden chores is not productive (or possible, now that I"m working this summer).   So what if the potatoes have to wait a few extra weeks to get planted?   I'm trying to do a few small tasks at a time, leaving time and energy for clean up, putting away tools, and making dinner without having sore feet or an aching back.   My instinct is to attack each task with maximum effort, trying to do everything as bestest as possible.   However, this leads to a phenomenon that my girlfriend likes to call my motto: "if you're gonna do it, overdo it!"

As it turns out, overdoing things is not actually that great.   Buying too many plants/seed packets wastes money (or makes you feel required to plant more than you need).   Planting lots of things in tiny pots just leads to more work (and an inferior product) down the road (I'm pretty sure I will do this one!).   Planting too much stuff in too little space leads to crowded/less healthy/less productive plants.   At the end of the day, our own health/happiness/well-being matters.   Leaving time and leaving space means that even if we can't do *all* the things, at least we can do some of them well, in a semi-mindful and self-caring mindset. That's my message to myself for today, as I head outside to plant extra radishes (in the rain) and squeeze in the extra Napa cabbage that I bought into some crowded corner of my already-full spring garden.  :)