Okay, maybe not exactly. Ice isn’t a great foundation for a thriving garden, and I would struggle to recommend where to use compost in curling. In fact, I’d venture to guess there are more differences than similarities. Do they even garden in Canada? I have no idea.
But, I did hear something funny while late-night-watching a recent Olympic curling match (curling is frowned upon during joint TV hours in our house). Each team is allotted a certain amount of “thinking time” to strategize during the game. It’s legit called “thinking time.” If you run out of time before the end of the competition, you’re no longer allowed to think. I’m dead serious.
I thought that was hilarious. I may have even LOLed. I think all curlers should be handed pipes and be required to continuously stroke their chins while contemplatively uttering “hmmmm” during thinking time.
As is my nature, I cycled through several other humorous and childish mental images before settling on the fact that I actually really like the “thinking time” concept – except, in our case, for gardening.
Just like curling, actions you take now can and will influence what you can do later in the game. Do you play a blocker or put the stone in the house? How will that second shot impact what you can do on your eight shot? Can you tell I’m talking myself back into this analogy?
There’s simply no end to the things you can think about – so much thinking! Trust me, it can be debilitating. So, as an avid thinker about gardens – possibly to the detriment of my other thinking responsibilities – I’ve put together a bit of a thinking guide. Consider this a digital Sherpa for your garden “thinking time.” You should start right meow.
Sun. Beautiful sun. Wherefore art thou Sun? Just like Romeo and Juliet, plants – at least the kind you’re interested in growing – can’t live without light. Make sure you use part of your thinking time to consider that the sun will change angles in the sky. Channel your inner Galileo and prepare for that eventuality.
Many common garden plants (cucumbers, tomatoes, pole beans, spring peas, etc) benefit and/or outright need support. This is much easier to execute before those plants get bigger. So, put up your cages and trellises early in the process.
Locate high-frequency herbs close to your kitchen. Outside of that dude that’s running his lawnmower at 7am, we’re all a little lazy. You’re much more likely to user your parsley, basil, dill and oregano if you have only a few steps to paydirt.
Consider who likes whom in the garden. A bit like the middle school playground, some plants get along better than others. Unlike middle school, that doesn’t change every day. So, you should be able to keep the nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants) separated from…oh, who am I kidding? I don’t really do this, but I have thought about it. So, I’ll debit some time off the clock.
I would suggest crop rotation which I always think is a funny term. It sounds like we’re out in Iowa planting acres of corn. Despite not being farmers, it does make sense to avoid planting the same thing in the same place year after year. Bugs and disease can remain in the soil which increases your chances of failure. No sense in making it easier for Mother Nature to flunk you for your efforts.
Last one – if you have children or animals – think about their impact on your garden. Maybe avoid planting too close to the basketball hoop. Or, plan to put up fence/netting to keep Fido from digging up your radishes.
That’s it. Time’s up. Take your thinking caps off. There are plenty of other things to consider before (and during) your gardening exploits. But for now, our thinking time has run out. It’s time to curl that stone. Hopefully, you end up holding the hammer in the 10th end (yay curling lingo!).