The Briar Patch Garden
By M-C Hartman
M-C Hartman, a suburbanite wanna-be farmer, passionately gardens on a ¼ acre lot in Zone 6 Pennsylvania. She gardens organically amidst a profusion of birds, bees, dogs, native plants, pollinators, voles, mice, rabbits, etc. The weeds always get the best of her, but the joy of digging in the dirt keeps her coming back. Her garden includes fruit trees, berries, perennial and annual vegetables, perennial native and occasional non-native flowers, and of course her helpers – Buddy the Pomeranian and Angel the Bichon Frise. Challenges include lots of shade and partial shade, health issues limiting the bending, reaching and sustaining of effort, and time, time, time!