As the weather begins to turn warmer, I am again dreaming of a beautiful summer garden.  In my mind, there are several raised beds, neatly arranged with lettuces, spinach, spring onions, and radishes.  Trellises support the young, sweet peas, cucumbers, and beans.  Ordered hoops support the peppers and tomatoes.  There’s a small section of herbs, so I can dash out and snip fresh sprigs of thyme, basil, or chives.  All that glorious bounty will be at my fingertips, just waiting to be harvested for all those delicious spring and summer salads I’ll share with my family throughout the summer months.

In my mind, there is a lovely strawberry patch in one corner of the yard and other assorted berry bushes tucked about the perimeter.  I’ll just skip merrily along and grab handfuls of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries (tra-la-la), eating them as I go – whistling about in my lawn work.  My apples tree will be so loaded with fruit that I’m giving it away by the buckets.  The house will smell of fresh pies and fruit preserves.  There will be manicured pathways and beautifully mulched beds.  I’ve got a compost pile brewing in the back, so I can turn my yard waste into rich, black soil.  There’s a drip irrigation system and I’m harvesting rainwater so that the garden literally takes care of itself.  You should see the picture in my brain.  It’s beautiful.

As I said, this is all in my mind.  Once again, I have spent the winter months watching YouTube videos and reading books on these intricate and lavish backyard gardens that the presenters make look so effortless.

“My yield was 25 tons of vegetables this year – it was incredible! spouts one YouTube guru.  “We never bought produce at the store all summer, and my friends all shared in the bounty.”

“I’m soooo going to do that this year,” I say to myself every year.  That’s “wishful” me – the eternal optimist.

Then, reality sets in.

It’s early April.  Do I have any raised beds in place?

No.

I should have had my early spring crops like spinach and peas already in the ground.  Even if I did do it (which again – I didn’t), I’d probably plant just enough spinach for a one-time salad (because of course I’m going to try to squeeze in onions, carrots, lettuce, radishes, kale, and Lord knows what else – all in that four foot by four foot square).

I haven’t purchased any strawberry plants or berry bushes.  I do have a dwarf apple tree.  It gets fruit, but all of it usually falls off (or the fruit is pecked at by birds) long before anything will be ready to eat.  Every year I say I’m going to look after the apple crop, but I don’t.

My beautiful tomatoes and peppers?  I’ll probably end up with one plant in a container – water it half-heartedly all summer so it gets nice and spindly, and try to coax two or three ugly tomatoes or small peppers out of it after four months.  Those summer herbs?  I’m sure I’ll have three small pots on a table somewhere once again – and never take one snip off of any of them (but secretly loathe them on hot days because I’ll have to water them constantly so they don’t shrivel up and die).

My compost pile?  The beginnings of it will probably end up going to the landfill when the town completes its annual pick-up of yard waste.

Those manicured paths?  Too much to mow around.

That rainwater containment and drip irrigation system?  Heh-heh-heh.  Yeah.  OK.  Sure.

Good thing I have a hardworking Mennonite farm nearby.  Look out Mrs. Williams – it looks like you will have another loyal customer for home grown fruit and vegetables for yet another season.

But just wait until next year…….