Last fall, when I was great with child (a total excuse, mind you), I did not add any hay to the garden. I did not pull any weeds, take down any cages/stakes or add any manure to the garden. I did nothing but say good riddance when the harvest was over. I know that no-till lasagna gardening is amazing but the fact is, I am kindof a failure at it. Thankfully, I have a neighbor who doesn't mind coming and plowing for me when I slack off on my fall duties.
Before he came, I spent quite a bit of time weedwhacking the garden of the well-past-the-knees weeds and grasses everywhere (do you know how depressing it is to weedwhack a garden bed before getting it plowed?!) before I had a major 'duh moment' and staked our mini-horse there to feast. Sheesh. Sometimes I wonder about myself.
So- garden season begins.
I have been thinking about all my little garden beds lately and how overrun they all become so quickly without constant tending. Is is hard to keep up with it all and yet I find myself constantly wanting to expand. Add more asparagus, a larger strawberry patch, an actual perennial herb garden, more blueberries, more fruit trees, more grapes! More, more, more! I want to be able to produce more food here- particularly the expensive things like asparagus and fruits. I also think of all the grass that Matt mows- pretty much every three days right now- and I'd like to use up more yard so he has to mow less. But one person can only do so much.
I am trying to find the balance between what we need, what I want and what I can actually handle.
It's like when you go shopping and haven't eaten all day...you start grabbing food by the armfuls because you are so starved for it and but can still only actually consume a small portion of it.
I've been starved of the glowing shades of green, of the new life and living things, of the going out the kitchen door to the backyard for snacks and sustenance, for flowers and that glorious feeling of being outside, covered in warm sunshine, the whole world golden and growing.
I grab it by the armfuls and plan for yardfuls and am totally oblivious to the fact that one person can only do so much.
The temptation of a whole garden summer sprauled out before you...it's a powerful thing.
3 comments:
What a nice neighbor!! I am guilty of not having a garden at all. I do however have a vineyard, priorities right - hahaha!!
I am wishing you a lovely producing garden this year!
Blessings,
Cathie
I hear you!! I just want to plant more more!! I have a much smaller yard though! I added raspberries, rises and elderberries this year to my edible urban landscape, and am adding 2 new raised veggie beds, have you considered raised beds with much around them? It has dramatically cut down my weeding and spring prep! Changed my gardening in the best way possible!! As always I love your blog <3
I know what you mean by wanting more! It's hard feeling like we can't plant anything permanently. We don't want to put time and effort into someone else's land. I think you'd really enjoy learning about permaculture! Scott and I plan to use it for our acreage in the Southern Tier. Some good books are Integrated Forest Gardening, The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Sepp Holzer's Permaculture, and Permaculture for the Rest of Us. Geoff Lawton is also a great resource, http://www.geofflawtononline.com/. He offers an online course that Scott and I would like to take someday. So many big ideas and no way to implement them!
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