I’m not that into gardening right now. The produce is coming in, plants sales are all over, and with the cooling temperatures it’s a great time to get garden projects done. But gardening mostly feels like a chore to me. The main problem is that I simply lack any feeling of ownership over the gardens I do have.

I just finished a project last week that I loves. I designed and installed an extended rear planting bed in the garden of an acquaintance. It was a hired job (and yes I do hire out for jobs, but generally just smaller ones more involved with planting design) and I loved being able to create something, not on my budget. I love being able to work through a project from conception through installation and will be happy to see how this one matures. (Better than it looks now, if all goes well.) Here’s a glimpse:

But in my own garden I have a dilemma. I’m moving for Atlanta in January. Anything I do right now will not be mine to enjoyed, and it is with my own non-paid time and my own money. Every garden I work on I will be leaving and I just can’t motivate myself to do too much. I’m not even getting too much joy out of the massive amounts of produce I’m storing, like grape juice, tomatoes, and frozen peaches. It’s not coming with me when I leave.

I want a garden that is mine and will be mine for a while. I’ve been moving around so much that any garden I work in is soon left, so I often can’t enjoy the results. I would love a place that is mine and where I can do fun things in, designs I would never put in someone else’s yard. To really get the joy out of gardening, you have to own the space and see it for years to come.