New Beginnings
It is the first day of Spring, the way the Kiwis define it anyway, and a real time of new beginnings for me. I have had the immense privledge of personally handing-off my old backyard garden to the new tennants, because they happen to be a friend and her roomate. I gave them a tour and left them a couple strawberries and my swan plant collection. They were excited to know there were so many good things growing in their little garden, and room for much more.
It was a good little garden, and all the more special because I did hard work weeding and improving the soil one square meter at a time. It was a joy to see it overflowing with veggie plants last Summer. As I start to tackle the new garden, I'll be reminding myself of what I accomplished in that garden in just two years. This will be my fourth backyard garden, and the beginning is awlays a bit daunting. It's helpful to remind myself of what I'm capable of.
So, here's to my last little garden. I knew you were temporary, only a stopping point on they way to home ownership, and yet I chose to sink my time and resources into your lovely garden beds, and the rewards were 100% worth it. This photo is from the first year of that garden:
I'd done the hard work of weeding and soil improving to about four or five square meters. I didn't have a lot of time to plan things out. A lot of it was grown from seeds from the Little Garden promotion at the grocery store - free little kits with seeds and peat pots. The beans were pretty scrawney that year. The corn was so lovely to look at but didn't yield anything very edible. I don't know why it still catches me by surprise how beautiful the plants we grow for food can be. It happens nearly every time I grow something new.
This is the second planter bed at my last house:
I'd only started cultivating it last year. Knowing how sunny a spot, and how good the soil, I got greedy and planted quite densely, one might say recklessly. I was rewarded with this beautiful tangle of lush goodness. That is the butternet squash stealing the show - rambling up the trellis and down into the lawn. It's not even halfway done growing in this shot. Harvesting the cucumber and runner beans on the trellis in the back became a serious feat of acrobatics, but I loved it.
I smile now, as I see myself there, in gumboots and a short floral skirt, balance on the ball of one foot, the other leg out behind me, reaching out to pick one more beautiful plump cucumber, nearly out of reach.
It was a good little garden, and all the more special because I did hard work weeding and improving the soil one square meter at a time. It was a joy to see it overflowing with veggie plants last Summer. As I start to tackle the new garden, I'll be reminding myself of what I accomplished in that garden in just two years. This will be my fourth backyard garden, and the beginning is awlays a bit daunting. It's helpful to remind myself of what I'm capable of.
So, here's to my last little garden. I knew you were temporary, only a stopping point on they way to home ownership, and yet I chose to sink my time and resources into your lovely garden beds, and the rewards were 100% worth it. This photo is from the first year of that garden:
I'd done the hard work of weeding and soil improving to about four or five square meters. I didn't have a lot of time to plan things out. A lot of it was grown from seeds from the Little Garden promotion at the grocery store - free little kits with seeds and peat pots. The beans were pretty scrawney that year. The corn was so lovely to look at but didn't yield anything very edible. I don't know why it still catches me by surprise how beautiful the plants we grow for food can be. It happens nearly every time I grow something new.
This is the second planter bed at my last house:
I'd only started cultivating it last year. Knowing how sunny a spot, and how good the soil, I got greedy and planted quite densely, one might say recklessly. I was rewarded with this beautiful tangle of lush goodness. That is the butternet squash stealing the show - rambling up the trellis and down into the lawn. It's not even halfway done growing in this shot. Harvesting the cucumber and runner beans on the trellis in the back became a serious feat of acrobatics, but I loved it.
I smile now, as I see myself there, in gumboots and a short floral skirt, balance on the ball of one foot, the other leg out behind me, reaching out to pick one more beautiful plump cucumber, nearly out of reach.
Comments
Post a Comment