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Gardening in the Military
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 2:47PM
My grandmother has the prettiest flowers. Her peonies and oriental poppies are just to die for. She has banks of lilies, huge lilac bushes, climbing roses, hydrangeas, drifts of any sort of bulb you can name, flowering trees, clematis vines, and lots of things I don't even know the names of. I love her flowers. (And the flowers in these pictures are all hers.)
I love the frequent moves the military puts us through, but one thing that saddens me is that I'll never have an established garden like Grandma's. She's been living in one place for the last 50 years. By the time I get my flower beds and vegetable patch the way I like them, we get orders and I have to start all over again. It can get depressing, but I've learned a few things that help make it easier on me.
First of all, I keep a gardening notebook. I take notes on all the plants we try - which does well in what sort of soil, which ones can't handle direct sunlight, which are easily transplanted, etc. I take pictures of the garden, including detailed photos of areas that turned out especially well. This makes it easier to set up my new garden when we get to our new home.
Starting a garden every few years can be a drain on the budget. BecauseI never know what style or color of house I'll end up with, I keep garden ornaments to a minimum, and the ones I do have are neutral and go well with any color scheme. I use terra cotta colored plastic flower pots to keep our weight under the maximum limit, and we use handtools instead of tillers and other machinery. We also keep our leftover seeds from year to year. Most of them sprout!
Every time we move into new quarters, I plant some bulbs and other perennials. I figure someone down the line will appreciate it - I know I'm always tickled to see "surprise" tulips during our first spring on a new base. I make an effort to plant only non-poisonous perennials, because most people living in military quarters are young couples with small children, and I hate the thought of someone's child dying twenty years from now after munching on my lily-of-the-valley plants. I also give plants to friends and neighbors when we PCS. It's nice to see a friend's face light up when you present her with your potted lemon tree.
Most of the installations we've lived on have regulations forbidding vegetable gardens in base housing, but I've found that we are able to get away with it by scattering vegetable plants among theflowers and herbs, and keeping the garden area very, very tidy. Absolutely no weeds allowed! We don't plant things like corn or watermelon, which scream, "I'm disregarding regs! Notify the commander immediately!" and I make sure my tomato plants are neatly staked and harvested in a timely manner - no fruit is ever left rotting on the vine. Some installations have community garden plots available for rent. We've used them in the past and have good experiences with them, though it is a pain to have to drive to your garden plot.
Gardening in the military can be frustrating, but I think it's worth the trouble whether you live in military housing or out in the local community. Having a pretty garden can be a real pick-me-up on those "I wish I lived anywhere but here" days, and it can really improve the feel of a neighborhood. Think of your garden as a gift to your neighbors! Gardening is also good for our children. You'd be amazed at the fun you can have and the things you can learn while gardening with your little ones, so get out there and plant some seeds together.
Reader Comments (10)
Your Grandmother's flowers are beautiful! I've never bothered planting a garden since mine in FL failed! We didn't have good land in Alaska to even try to garden...too many tree roots in the back and I didn't want a garden in the front yard!
Beautiful flowers, I have peonies I think in my back yard but they haven't bloomed yet since it is so cold here still. Great tips you gave us. I should be able to plant something by next weekend and have fun. I do have an avocado plant, it is just a baby though. Can't wait for it to grow some.
Great pictures!
I am having terrible luck with my garden. My roses have fallen over. I keep forgetting to water my hanging baskets. My dahlias are being eaten by slugs. Should I go on? *sigh*
Yes, Tressa. You should go on. I find it highly entertaining. :D
:P
I didn't know the military was so picky about the grounds. I should've known because in all the ones I've seen, none of them had vegetable gardens. It just didn't hit me, but the austere neatness of some of them did.
Those are pretty flowers. I'm always fascinated by those sorts of old-timey gardens that have plants and bushes all over the place. My aunt's grandmother had a yard like that.
The bug on the peony was at my house the other day. I should have checked it's little leg for a note from you.
Are you trying to tell us that you'll be going to a new duty station her soon? Didn't you just get to SC a year or so ago?.....
I love your grandmother's garden and hope that you'll be able to find a place where you can have a nice garden of your own to establish.
Pretty pictures, Melanie.
I hid my tomato plants in the backyard. We only lived on base once. The bright side of military gardening -- you are in the running for the much coveted "Yard of the Month". LOL!
LOL Donna!
Elaine, we'll be stuck here for a while yet.
I'll never win yard of the month because I don't edge my lawn. It's one small way to rebel. LOL
Love the photos. Very pretty. :)