Gardening confessions and writing plans

I both love and hate gardening. I think plants are magical - how many organisms can take sunlight and turn it into food? Also, I get frustrated by the waiting. I want to plant the apple tree and immediately harvest the apples. I want to sow seeds and never have to tend them again.

Despite this, I always come back to gardening. I squint at the plants popping up and try to identify: corn or crab grass? Every year since I started my backyard garden I have attempted a three sisters garden. That’s the symbiotic trio of corn, squash, and beans for non-gardeners out there.

I smother weeds with cardboard or paper and sprinkle flowers seeds in troughs: sunflowers, zinnias, neon calendula. I second guess myself as a I weed. Am I ripping out the right thing?

I marvel at the tiny choices seeds make. This bean seedling has its first leaves tucked inside the splitting seed like little wings. Beans are epigeal germinators - the sprout lifts the seed out of the ground. Corn is a hypogeal germinator - the sprout emerges from the seed underground.

I marvel at the language we use to describe germination. The first leaves you see on a bean seedling are “seed leaves” - they are larger version of tiny leaves present in the seed. “True leaves” are leaves the bean seedling grows later.

I appreciate the raspberry bushes - the only plant in my garden that takes care of itself. The only tradeoff is I have to watch the volunteer raspberry plants that would takeover the yard if I left them.

I fail despite my best intentions and sometimes accidentally fix my mistakes. These blueberry bushes have never seemed happy; I thought the soil wasn’t acidic enough. They are finally growing. I did nothing to the soil. I removed the individual circles of fencing I had around and fenced in the whole gardening bed. We have voracious, adorable, destructive bunnies.

I should be methodically, slowly growing my garden. Instead I’m always trying new things before I’ve figured out how to keep up with all the old things. This year my experiment was winter sowing - similar to using cold frames. Winter sowing can be used for anything that needs a freeze/thaw cycle to germinate. And it can be used to start seeds earlier in colder climates.

How many fruit trees can you fit in a small yard? I’m determined to find out. My latest addition is this peach tree - self-pollinating and hardy to my zone. Wrapped in chicken-wire at the bottom because the bunnies almost girdled the apple tree this winter.

Work on the next novel is going slowly because I have a project stuck in my head. I want to publish “Blessed by the Algorithm” in physical form. AND I’d like to feature art more prominently in the book. Not just art for promotion. But commissioned art that is actually part of the book. And I still don’t know exactly what that looks like. A full-blown graphic novel? Super cool but prolly more than I can afford. One illustration per story? Anyway, if you have ideas lmk.

p.s. If you’d like to get more frequent updates, you can find me on Bluesky, Instagram, or Mastodon. And, of course, all book details are at https://www.megancarney.com

How to Grow a Three Sisters Garden – Native-Seeds-Search

By Melissa Kruse-Peeples For many Native American communities, three seeds - corn, beans, and squash represent the most important crops. When planted together, the Three Sisters, work together to help one another thrive and survive. Utilizing corn, beans, and squash together in your garden draws upon centuries of Indigenous agricultural traditions and expertise. This post covers the benefits of three sisters planting and provides tips for when to plant, varieties that work well in planting ...