The Garden Way: Cultivating Intentionality in a Fast-Paced World.

My Second Year of “Chaos”

… Chaos gardening, that is. I discovered chaos gardening (or, instead, it found ME) two years ago, when I noticed about 100 cherry tomato plants growing in my compost pile, and an equal number of some kind of squash growing next to it. Knowing that these had to be from last year’s cast-off veggies and that there was no guarantee they would be edible, I couldn’t help but transplant the lot into two of my raised beds. While the resulting mongrel gourds made excellent treats for chickens and pigs, those cherry tomatoes, on the other hand… WHOA! I had all varieties, and they were delicious. I did not need to plant any tomatoes that year.

I soon discovered that what I had fallen into was a form of chaos gardening: planting without a rigid plan, scattering seeds freely across available soil, welcoming what grows on its own, and trusting nature to decide what thrives. In the language of the tarot, chaos gardening is the Fool’s anthem. It’s playful, intuitive, and experimental, embracing surprise as part of the harvest. The Fool’s energy is alive here: beginnings without certainty, joy in discovery, and faith that beauty will emerge from apparent disorder.

I did some research on chaos gardening (you might have seen those humorous Facebook videos of the guy who buys a bag of chickpeas at the grocery store and scatters them willy-nilly over his shoulder, right?). Last year, I decided to plant my raised beds with combinations of seeds from my stash, my pantry, and wherever else I could get them, and just see what happened. As I plan my gardens for next year, I stopped to evaluate what I learned from last year’s experiment.

Chaos, Year 2: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

There were definitely lessons to be learned from last year’s gardening, and elements of “chaos” I’d like to embrace again this year. Alas, there are things I will avoid this gardening season (spoiler alert: not all gardening ideas, even from “gardening” websites, are good ones for all gardeners).

Successes to Build On

• Lettuce: All the lettuce varieties I planted did well – even those from old seed packets. I planted Waldmann’s Dark Green (from Seeds of Change), as well as Red Leaf, Little Gem (a romaine), and Bistro Blend Mini (from Rebel Gardens). I had enough for salads all summer, and left some to bolt for the end-of-the-season butterflies – even spotted a hummingbird feeding from the bolted lettuce, which surprised me.
• Cilantro/Coriander: The organic coriander from Ohio Heirloom Seeds came up like gangbusters. I harvested plenty of fresh cilantro, and left some to go to seed, which I harvested for coriander. I’m not certain, but I think this particular variety is better for seed (coriander) than cilantro, compared to other varieties I’ve grown. There weren’t enough greens to harvest and dry for later.
• Cherry Tomatoes: I didn’t plant any, but I had one volunteer cherry tomato that came up in my garden. I left it and tended it. The tomatoes didn’t get a chance to ripen, but I harvested three quarts and turned them into green tomato salsa.
• Cucumbers: I had SO MANY cucumbers from my old packet of Straight Eight cucumbers (the packet was leftover from LAST year). Bought these from Seeds of Change. I ended up cutting up the monster cucumbers at the end of the season and feeding them to the chickens on the very hot days we had in September. They loved them.
• Peas: My peas did very well. I planted them early (the first week of April), and picked them mostly to eat right off the vine while I did other chores.
• Other Veggies: I didn’t grow these from seed, but was gifted some “rescue” veggies. I had a bumper crop of sweet peppers, which I froze, and some beets. I had a lot of tomatoes, also, but had to fight a woodchuck for the ripe ones. Next year, I’ll use a different method for staking them, as they grew too heavy for the stakes I used.

Meh… Maybe Not…

I planted a bunch of packets of random seeds, many of which I received as “free” packets or as part of another item I ordered: ‘Helen Mount’ Johnny Jump-Ups and ‘Tall Deluxe’ Snapdragons (from Ferry-Morse), two packets of thyme (that came in a Tamed Wild monthly box), and a packet of wild woodland strawberries (from a Writual Society quarterly box). None of these germinated. I was particularly disappointed by the seeds that came with one of the monthly or quarterly subscription boxes. It seems the seeds may have been old or improperly stored before getting shipped.

If you receive seeds as part of a subscription box, I would advise germinating them in a more controlled environment (such as deli containers indoors or seedling trays in a greenhouse) to give them optimal conditions to germinate.

One interesting experiment was my impulsive planting of several different types of lentils, which I procured from my pantry. These germinate very well, as long as the soil is warm enough. Unfortunately, the flowers only produce a small seed pod with two lentils in each pod. Given how inexpensive lentils are in the market, growing your own is likely not worth the effort, unless you have a large area and can scatter a bunch. I’m not sure the best way to remove the seeds from the tiny pods, though. Maybe one of you has another idea.

Maybe Try a Different Way…

Some of the seeds I planted showed promise – but I would need to try another method.

• Nasturtiums: The ‘Alaska Mix’ grew well, and I used flowers and leaves in salads all summer, but the ‘Tom Thumb’ didn’t germinate at all. Next time, I would soak the seeds first, or pregerminate them, before planting.
• Celery: On a lark, I planted celery seed from my spice rack. These germinated well, much to my surprise, but were not easily distinguishable from the cilantro and parsley in my garden, and I had added them to a “chaos mix.” I’m not sure I’d plant celery, but if I did, I would plant it by itself to care for it better.
• Basil: I received ‘Triple Play’ basil as part of a subscription box. The packet contained seeds from three varieties, combined into “pearls” of seeds that could be planted individually. The seedlings took a long time to establish and struggled to compete in the herb bed. Next time, I’d plant single varieties and start them in a seedling tray until the seedlings were stronger.
• Radishes and Carrots: The ‘French Breakfast’ radish I showed produced plenty of radishes. Unfortunately, I didn’t thin them as ruthlessly as I should have. I also followed some bad advice to mix radishes and carrots together and plant them around the borders of my cucumber bed. Bad idea. The underground structures of the radishes, as well as the ‘Scarlet Nantes’ carrots, would have done better if they were planted alone, and the cucumbers just did not allow enough light to allow the carrots to develop fully.
• Kale: I planted ‘Vates Blue Scotch Curled’ kale, and got only one plant. It was a fine plant, but next time, I’d plant them in seedling trays first and transplant.

Funny story about the borage I planted. I planted a whole packet of seeds. Not one germinated. However, a humongous plant grew ten feet away, at the edge of the lawn. I have no idea where that one came from, but I suspect either rain washed the seed out of the bed, and it found a more comfy home in a most inconvenient place, or I dropped a seed there. At any rate, in the spirit of chaos gardening, I left it there to grow, alongside a comfrey that also came up at the edge of the lawn.

The Moral of the Chaos Story

I was always a straight rows, draw-a-plan kind of gardener. Those surprise tomatoes and squash opened up a new world of possibilities and joy for me as a gardener. I am still a fan of chaos gardening, despite the mixed results of the past season – the surprise IS part of the harvest. I would definitely continue to try different seeds from my pantry, especially different kinds of beans. I think I’d plant seed varieties individually, maybe with companion flower or herb seeds mixed in, to make it easier to care for the crop appropriately. If you don’t NEED the crop or have seed you wouldn’t use otherwise, by all means, consider adding a little chaos to your garden this year.

Life and gardening – there are a lot of parallels here. Sometimes, we spend so much time researching the best way to live our lives that we forget to live. Our over-planning takes away from our mindfulness and sense of being in the moment. As Leo Buscaglia said, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.” In a garden, you can design the best plan and select the best seeds, only to have rogue weather disturb your plans. Or, conversely, you can plant a bunch of things, be excited about what prospers, and challenge yourself to make the best of what your garden produces, no matter what it is.

Whatever method you choose to organize your garden – and your life – leave room for experimentation, surprise, and wonder. When you see the unexpected lesson is part of your “harvest,” then you will see the magic of just a little “chaos” in your life.

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