>Doing more with less in a school setting can lead to burnout. In the garden, I’m focusing on doing more with what I already have available instead of doing more with less. My goal: feel productive, not overwhelmed.

Compost, of course. I’m adding paper this year, that which can not be recycled due to food residues. Husband puts in the grass clippings, I add some of the soiled bunny litter box contents, and of course any suitable kitchen scraps. The grass clippings keep the temperature hot and help decompose the rest.

The rain barrel is already a success. I use it to rinse the litter boxes, rinse the emptied compost bucket, water the rhubarb, and more. We’ve only used the outside tap when we need the high water pressure for washing the lawnmower.

Tomatoes have new supports, supports that I already owned. The bean trellis is the same one I’ve used for years. I’m using a few old tomato cages for pepper plants and snap peas, and I think I’ll sell the rest at our June rummage sale. I really have too many. Hmmm…if La Petite would wash and paint them, maybe they’d be worth a little more. Maybe?

All this productivity with minimal investment helps my morale. I feel frugal for reusing and repurposing. I feel accomplished for getting the garden in and tending it. I feel thorough for doing my research and nurturing the tomatoes to do so well.

But lock your doors; if my zucchini is too prolific, I’ll have to get creative in giving it away.