Fresh Air and Sunshine Add Up to a Satisfying Day
By Val
@valmnz (17097)
New Zealand
October 14, 2015 11:40pm CST
As most of you realise, it's now mid Spring down here in New Zealand. The days are getting longer and warmer and I'm spending less time indoors. Spring can be a temperamental season here, but the last two days have been brilliant.
I've had a busy day outdoors today, first of all pulling weeds from the garden then driving off to the green waste centre to dump them. Then, the next stop was the garden centre where I splashed out on a bit of potted colour to fill in some of the gaps in the garden. Back home the plants were planted and I realised I should have bought twice as many. The final effort for the day was to mow the lawn.
I'm feeling tired and my cheeks are showing signs of having been out in the sun all day. I'm also feeling satisfied with my days work. I'm not a totally committed gardener, having come to it in recent years through necessity when my husband could no longer do it. However, I'm learning fast and I certainly enjoyed my day out in the fresh air and sunshine. The front garden is starting to look more like a garden and less like a weed patch. Soon I'll be into the vegetable section round the back.
Are you a natural gardener? I know many of you are. Or, are you more like me, hoping what you pull out really is a weed? Maybe some of you have tips for me on how to manage this enoyable but mysterious activity?
28 people like this
25 responses
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
15 Oct 15
i'm comin' to yer house! jest kiddin', but sure wish i could! i've gardened most'f my life 'n enjoy it immensely. that playin' in the dirt 'n figurin' out plants 'n how to make 'em happy brings me great joy. yepperz, i envy ya comin' into spring - warm sunshine 'n longer days. sigh... i'm really not embracin' autumn here in the u.s. 's fer tips? i aint familiar with schtuff in yer neck 'f the woods. perhaps visitin' with some other gardeners in yer area/'r those folks 't the garden center can help ya out? i'm prone to leavin' what some consider weeds 's some 've medicinal properties, others attracts beneficial insects to the garden 'n some 're native plants which i feel ought to be there.
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
15 Oct 15
@valmnz yes ma'am, i reckon the neighbors'd give ya fits otherwise. i'm fortunate to live in the country 'n not pay mind to those folks drivin' by 'n frownin' 'bout my lil "weed patches" nor when i allow my grass to not jest go to seed, but to mature 'fore mowin' it. we're recoverin' from a long drought 'n i'm tryin' to get all back in balance.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160978)
• United States
15 Oct 15
I have the interest but not the energy or dedication. We are headed into fall here. I will get a running start on this new yard next year. Today I need to mow.
3 people like this
@allknowing (137812)
• India
15 Oct 15
You must know by now my passion for gardening. There are lots of nice things happening right now.
Hope to see your newly developed garden. Waiting for pictures
2 people like this
@allknowing (137812)
• India
15 Oct 15
@valmnz I do not agree with you. Even a single plant that gives out healthy flowers is a matter of pride for the gardener
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (472060)
• Switzerland
15 Oct 15
I learned to take care of a garden and to plant vegetables when I was very young and spent my vacation days in the farmhouse of my grandmother. For what concern the weeds I have a rule, if they grow fast, spread everywhere and are healthy, pull them out, they are weeds! 
2 people like this
@much2say (56088)
• Los Angeles, California
15 Oct 15
That's great you've picked up gardening and are managing it quite well! My dad is a gardener by profession and he does bonsai - so he's the natural green thumb. But me, I have to try really, really hard. If anything I get super lazy and then neglect the poor plants - that's what usually happens. However the citrus trees we've inherited with the house are still thriving (that has been a grand experiment in pruning and such). And we have straggly rose bushes that we do absolutely nothing with because we want them to die - but they never do. The rest, since we have not gotten our act together to plant anything - is dirt! 
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
16 Oct 15
I love being out and about but I'm no gardener lol.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
15 Oct 15
You have a place to dump weeds? Interesting. We just toss ours on the lawn and grind them up with the tractor. Or they get thrown in the woods. I wish is were spring here instead of fall.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
15 Oct 15
I'm putting my garden to bed for the winter and I'm rather envious of you having your growing season ahead of you. I only took up gardening in my 60s, and just learnt by trial and error. It's not the end of the world if you pull out a few things that aren't weeds .
.2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
16 Oct 15
I am totally not, I killed bamboo once... I am with you, bring on the advice, or better yet, come be my adoptive grammie and teach me!
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
17 Oct 15
@valmnz I bet I could kill it, lol, I have a black thumb I swear.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
17 Oct 15
This is the time of the year when the cruise ships are dropping in to New Zealand and Australia.
I think you can find many tourists snapping pictures of everything they can see.
Perhaps you can see those tourists when you get to the nearest port!
I wonder if you are going to plant tomatoes or some herbs. You will have a great harvest in autumn if you work hard now.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (83103)
• United States
15 Oct 15
We're at opposite seasons with Fall here now. All my little potted flowers are gone and I won't be planting anything until next spring. However, we've been having some beautiful weather in the 70 degrees and it's still warm enough to enjoy being outside
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Oct 15
I had to laugh at "hoping what you pull out is a weed." - that's me exactly over the past couple of weeks. Some of those "weeds" (I hope) are so pretty too. But if it's growing anywhere near my rose bushes, I don't want it there.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
15 Oct 15
I had an organic farm for a long time @valmnz . With wintertime coming to a lot of people, where you are, you'll be able to raise our spirits by what you do in the garden.
1 person likes this
