Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded with gorgeous gardens, thanks to my Grandparents & my Mom. My grandparents had 2 enormous gardens that they grew every year. One had mostly veggies, the other had veggies and fruit. They grew just about everything they ate, with the exception of meat (they got most of that through hunting & fishing) and milk & eggs (both of which they purchased from a friend who had chickens & a dairy cow).
I spent summers with my Grandparents and saw them tending their garden each & every day. They also had a compost bed- and this was back in the late 70’s, before it was ‘cool’ to compost. They were way ahead of the game! They grew everything organically-no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. How did they fertilize their garden? Easy! Every time they caught a fish to eat, they would save the fish head & bury it in the garden, near whichever crop they wanted to fertilize. You can buy fish fertilizer in stores nowadays- they were doing it the natural way. As far as pest control? Every time they’d see a frog or toad hopping around, they’d catch it and release it in the garden. My Grandfather even had little makeshift frog homes strategically placed throughout the garden, complete with a little froggy pool- he’d take the lid from an old metal trashcan, turn it upside down & fill it with water!
My Mom’s garden was nowhere near the size of the one my grandparents had- but she always had beautiful roses growing out front. I can remember her cutting roses off for me to take to my elementary school teachers. When I was in high school, she planted a lavender rosebush right outside my window. I get my love of roses from my Mother.
I don’t have the space for a huge vegetable garden- but I try to plant what I can, like strawberries and a few melons. I also have a succulent garden, that I’m constantly adding more plants to. Every time I see a plant I don’t have in my garden, or one I’ve never seen before… I gotta have it! Succulents are defined as any plant with thick, fleshy (succulent) water storage organs. Succulents store water in their leaves, their stems or their roots. Think aloe vera & cactus. None of my succulents have sharp thorns, I like the kinder, gentler succulents.
Easy To Grow
Succulents are really easy to grow & quite hardy. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you probably won’t kill a succulent!
I water my plants about once a week or every other week in the summer. Just enough to get the soil wet, I don’t drown them. During winter months, I don’t water them at all. They’ll go dormant during the winter. Some succulents grow a lot quicker than others, so I have a few plants that have grown a lot since I planted them last sumer, and some that are still very small. No worries- it’s normal. If your plant starts to lose leaves, it needs more water. If the leaves start turning white or yellow- you are watering way too much. Also, never let a succulent sit in water- no bueno!
Succulents prefer bright light. But if the leaves start turning brown- it’s getting too much direct sunlight. If the plant starts to stretch, and there’s lots of space between the leaves, it’s not getting enough sunlight. I had this happen with a couple of mine & had to move things around so they’d get more sun.
Succulents like warm temps, but they can survive most winters with no problems. This past winter it got down into the 30’s a few times, my succulents did not suffer any ill effects. I have not fertilized my plants & the soil isn’t the best. So far, the succulents I’ve planted are thriving.
I purchased most of my succulents (maybe ALL of them?) at my local Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH). You can find them at Lowe’s & Home Depot too. Heck, succulents are getting so popular that even some grocery stores are now selling them.
If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at succulents, I say go for it! They’re very low maintenance and absolutely beautiful. Plus, most stores that sell them offer money-back guarantees- so you’ve got nothing to lose!
