A Garden Plan for the Lazy Gardener

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I am not the best gardener in the world, by no means a master. And all that hard work. There are things I’d rather be doing than pulling weeds and chasing away bugs and critters. This year, I have a new plan. It is my no weeding, no tilling, no kneeling in the mud, no backache, easy to grow container garden. Ah, but not just any container garden.

I searched my home, my garage, the garden shed. I combed yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops and antique stores, all in search of garden treasures. Anything that would hold dirt is what I was looking for. And so, rather than clay pots and boring, yet extremely expensive, stone planters my garden design is a whimsical blast from the past. Old rocks.

I’ve given the forgotten new life. An ancient child’s wagon becomes a bed of lettuce. A metal basket designed to hold wine bottles now holds green onions and cilantro. An old, scarred, copper teapot became the perfect home for my mint. Galvanized steel washtubs are perfect for growing carrots. Red and green chard have replaced the ferns in my hollow garden columns, and spinach is growing in a collection of watering cans. Herbs spill out of dustpans turned upside down, hanging on the planter wall.

At first glance, my patio garden is lush, green and beautiful. Imagine the surprise when people realize it is almost entirely edible. Sugar peas are climbing the gazebo trellises. Centerpieces on the tables may be a mini herb garden. A walk through the yards reveals even more surprises tucked between shrubs and resting along side the pond. It is culinary eye candy for the lover of all things old.

Gardening has never been so fun or easy. No longer am I bound to long, boring rows of lettuce. No more backbreaking work in the hot sun. No more weeding! It has been quite an experience, and one that will continue, I’m sure through the years.