Spring Fever

Springtime is both the best and worst time in any garden.

After months of being cooped up with nothing but books from the library and those beautiful, glossy catalogs that appear in my mailbox every January, I can't wait to get outside and finally do something in my yard. The problem is that "something" always ends up being too much. Not right away of course; with the first buds on the trees and gentle breezes in the air, you feel like you could do anything and everything. Plant a new tree? Why stop at one! New flowerbeds? Line the whole fence! Want to grow vegetables? Heck, we could never have to shop for produce all season!

Spring gardening is like new love, everything is fresh and full of hope, and the little bumps you hit along the way can be smoothed over, no problem. Then summer comes, and you find out that love of yours is really a irritating nag who keeps vying for your attention when really all you want to do is open a beer and watch a little tv. All those new trees you planted and beds you dug suddenly need watering, and you have to choose between either spending a big chunk of your time hosing them down, or a big chunk of money buying gadgets to water for you. Weeds are growing faster than you can pull them, and pests are eating more of your vegetables than you are.

Luckily, I have a solution. It sounds crazy, but (so far) it's worked for me (when I actually follow my own advice anyway). When you get those gorgeous, glossy seed and plant catalogs in January, go ahead and look at them. Take all the ones you like, and hide them away. A locked box to which your spouse has the only key is a good place. Don't even think about pulling them out again until July. Then, when it's too hot to go outside any time that the sun is above the horizon, and mosquitos have injected you with a healthy dose of cynicism, then you pull out those catalogs. This is when you plan your garden, when you can't lie to yourself about how much you really want to work outside.