How to tell if you’re a gardener or a farmer

I'm not a big fan of rotilling my garden because I try and grow a year-round garden. I've always got something planted, seeds that may germinate and plants that may not look like much in the winter but are alive and well below the surface, like the rhubarb and garlic in this photo. Since I usually can't remember where I've planted anything or where, exactly garden perennials are growing, I don't want to rototill and disturb anything.

I took my camera when I went for a garden stroll to record what's happening in the garden in mid-April. It's further proof that I'm a gardener, not a farmer.

A gardener doesn't want a crop to come in all at the same time for harvest; she'd rather pick one or two things every day, starting as early in the season as possible.  When you grow a garden, it's kind of cool to see spinach, columbine and bellflower all growing together in the same area. 

Probably not a good idea if you're a farmer.

A gardener doesn't care if the seeds she planted in July (like these parsnips)  for a fall crop don't germinate until March because her income doesn't depend on successful seed germination.

A gardener doesn't mind finding spinach scattered in four or five different areas because she's the only one who will be picking it.
A gardener can allow plants to reseed themselves and grow wherever they want to, like this fennel.

She can also plant an entire packet of seeds she's never tried before, hoping to see them grow and over winter (like the seed packet promised they would) and not mind that only two plants actually survived, like the tiny Nero di Toscano cabbage growing in the upper right hand corner.

When you're a gardener, it doesn't matter that you forgot you'd already planted parsnips in the area or that garlic chives are also growing. The more the merrier. 

And this gardener likes to throw flowers in the middle of the garden, just to make it pretty.