Do No Harm

I've run across a few key concepts in my life which I carry with me and act on constantly, usually without thinking. They're part of me and will remain so.

One of these is the Golden Rule. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Want respect? Give respect. Want honesty? Be honest. Etc. Though many times I do not receive as I give, when I get down and think these things no longer exist, I look in the mirror.

Another is the miltary concept on use of deadly force. Basically says use only the force necessary for the current threat. The concept holds true throughout life.

But most importantly is the nursing concept of "First, do no harm". If you cannot do good, at least do not cause injury. Again, it holds true through life in all aspects.

Do no harm holds with gardening, too. Like many things, it can be a difficult balance which may not be obvious. I try to reach a balance with fertilizing which will feed plants but not result in runoff or eventually cause the soil to be sterile. Far as runoff, since there has been no rain, that's no issue. With placement of my land, my house would float away before I had runoff. As far as sterile soil, some of my soil is already nearly sterile.

So I upped the ante and will continue to do so. The ammonia treatment seems to have done some good. South garden is picking up. The area by the fence still has little or nothing and the grass has turned pale again. So yesterday I filled the garden sprayer about 1/4 full of ammonia and sprayed the fence area and some of the grass where it's sparse. This morning, that grass looks greener than the rest. Give it til this evening and if it looks good then, I'll expand that treatment.

I'm still determined to have a productive garden this year. Whatever that takes.

Haven't planted the front yard yet. Haven't gotten the pump going properly. Going to try again today. If this one doesn't work, I'll go upward when I can afford it and get a bigger pump. Bigger pumps put out more than I really need but if the small one just won't work.. I will go with an electric pump, after all. Hooked up to solar power when I can. Then I can add a timer at some point. I never know what my schedule will be like.

Have a list of things to do today. Gotta get to them!