I live in Maine in our owner-built home on 14+ acres….one (+) of which has been cleared for a house and garden(s) site.

Our frost free date is May 30th and our first frost is October 4th
I garden for my sanity and to feed my spirit.
I grow a garden to get most of my vegetables (beans, peas,chard, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collards, chard, kohlrabi, zucchini, pumpkins, beets, carrots, lettuce, an assortment of asian greens for mesclun, parsley and basil) for Winter use.

I grow (+-) 200 garlic heads.

I also harvest a large, wild-ish patch of stinging nettle which I eat as greens in the Spring. I can freeze and sometimes, sell some of this too.

I’ve never maintained a ‘lawn’ in the normal sense of the word. Whatever grass-like plants grow in our ‘opening’, outside of a designated garden,….is mowed or weed wacked. But, it is by no means pretty, plush or lush. I’ve always wanted to keep the site as natural as possible. At one time, most of my gardens were edged with rocks I found on the property. I quickly learned that this was promoting slug damage on my plantings, as the rocks offer great hiding places for the pests during the heat of the day.

Two years ago (2009) I put in raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. I’m still waiting to see how successful they will be as I’m having a lot of ‘pests’ problems

I plant zinnias, sweet pea, cosmos, calendula, verbena, ageratum and a few other annual ‘cutting’ flowers in the vegetable garden.

I have several perennial beds that I started over 30 years ago. I’ve recently introduced shrubs to these gardens, so that I can cut back on duplicate varieties and lighten my work load.

I love to share my over abundance of garlic scapes, stinging nettle and other vegetables with friends and/or my town’s food pantry. My annual and perennial flowers afford me the ability to bring big bouquets to my monthly full moon group, singing group (Women With Wings), neighborhood pot lucks and the like. I designate some of my largest, most impressive garlic heads for hostess gifts or to send one off with a visitor I don’t see very often and who cannot grow their garlic.

After decades of gardening, and in my present location, I finally came up with a compost system I can work with. I’m ashamed to admit how long it took to institute. Compost is one of my ‘Gardens’.

I am a knitter,…..mostly socks and shawls.
I’m a professional craftsperson. I make my living ‘doing’ high quality, juried craft shows where I sell my hand knotted jewelry and watchbands. With proper financial discipline and because of age creeping up on me, we have pared the number of our shows down to 10-12 a year, leaving me more time to garden. I would retire if I could and ‘live’ in my gardens.

NOTE to self…..
1) check ‘2012 Planning’ Journal Entry March 14,2012 for To-Do’s.
2) since I joined Folia in 2012, I’ve decided to identify almost all of my non-vegetable plants a having been ‘Established’ in 2012 for two reasons: a) I’m not planning on entering data for my 200+ plants prior to 2012 and b) I hate that when I go to a particular plant’s ‘Timeline’ …..if that plant’s ‘Established’ date is years and years back…..I have to do so much horizontal scrolling to 2012 to see the status of that plant. Perhaps I am ‘missing’ something about how the site works.