SHUUUUUUUUUU!

It’s a secret! It’s a secret garden.

Well, I got this idea on how to grow secret stuff in plain sight, from Rick Austin (Just buy his book, The Secret Garden of Survival, and any other book by Rick, online). Rick’s philosophy is that nature doesn’t grow stuff in rows so why should we. Learn what plants like each other and plant them in clumps and bunches all around your place. Sweet potatoes make great ground cover for a flower garden out front and come fall just yank up a mess o’ yams. Red cabbage enhances any flower garden. Herbs keep out bugs so spread these fun smelling, tasty plants all over. You can hide bush beans and peas all over too. Rhubarb is a nice perennial to enhance your landscape. Chives and herbs even red cabbage, beets, carrots, colorful small pepper plants, chards and eatable flowers adorn my secret garden. You would never guess there are butternut squash weaving amongst my iris. I even hide a tomato plant or two at ground level. My guests walk right by it every day. Plant some catnip for the neighbors cats to come by on daily patrol, a-looking for a vole, mouse or mole. Sprinkle some Irish Spring chips around your plants if the rodent rascals or deer frequent your yard.

Above all, have fun gardening. Be casual. Remember that if you plant it, it will grow. And besides, one doesn’t have to read the ingredients on the back of the can and shutter in the garden.

*from “Casual Gardening,” 2020, p 27.