Questions suggested by Huw Richards a UK gardener, (whom I support on Substack) during his end-of-the-year livestream chat

Early daffodils from last spring, with garlic shoots off to the right

1. What is one emotion you want to feel in the garden this year?
   • Curiosity/Enjoyment
2. Define the primary yields you want to see from your garden.
   • Self-sufficient in salads
   • Dye flowers
3. What is your greatest limiting factor?
   • Poor native soil, lack of compost
4. What is one thing you wish you had grown last year?
   • Spinach
5. What is something new you want to grow this year?
   • Corn
6. What is something you do every year in your garden that you would rather not do? A habit that is not helpful?
   • Using plastic weed mesh along the neighbor’s fence line. It never works well enough to stop weeds, and just gets matted as the weeds grow through it.
7. What are your 10 absolute must grow annuals for next year?
   • tomatoes
   • peppers
   • sunflowers
   • cosmos
   • calendula
   • squash
   • basil
   • leafy greens
   • beans
   • cucumbers
8. What is one gardening book that you could read between now and March?
   • The Five Minute Gardener by Nicole Burke
   • Epic Homesteading by Kevin Espiritu
   • The Permaculture Garden by Huw Richards
     • I read a lot, can’t pick just one!
9. What is one gardening skill you would like to master in 2025?
   • Mulching the beds with grass clippings/straw for moisture retention and to help with weeds
10. What is a pledge that you can make to share with your community?
    • blog about my experience
    • share extra produce with family and friends

A nice variety of cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse last year