Know when to put down the book

Besides changing diapers, one of my new hobbies is reserving and reading books from the public library. Yesterday I cam across this quote in Alan Silver's How to Win Grants.

"Books, seminars, workshops, and the like are fine, 

but don't let them put off your day of reckoning."

Seems like good advice for almost any daunting process in life, including gardening.

Don't let books become your garden. Books and blogs are there to inspire and teach you, but there comes a time to put down the book and go outside and work your land. Make your own mistakes, learn about your own soil, talk to your neighbors to find out what varieties work well. The real learning, as you probably already know, takes place once you're in the middle of it, whatever "it" is.

Today I read through half of Jere Gettle's The Heirloom Life Gardener. The book's photos are a feast for the eyes and Jere's (I think it's short for Jeremiah) writing is smooth and easy to read quickly. He talks about getting into the garden while it's still cold to prepare the ground and plant cold weather veggies like spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

The next two days' weather forecast looks nice--sunny and 40s. I have a long list: turning the ground, creating a new bed for corn, and planting several things. My plan for tomorrow is to spend less time inside reading about other people's gardens and more time outside creating the garden we want.