Saturday 21 July 2012

Harvest




This is a sampling of the first real harvest I've had from my garden this summer. I planted all these things so long ago, and today the garden FINALLY gave back to me on the first day in a long time that I actually had time to weed the dang thing. The irony is not lost on me. It's so easy when you're nearing the end of winter and all you can do is promise to make time - in your mind everything will bear fruit, the garden will always be neat and tidy, and you will enjoy the hard labour. This is the second year in a row that my garden has been less than abundant. But now I know that at this point my other responsibilities are too distracting and too time consuming. It's not a matter of trying harder or being better at it (alright... maybe my green-thumb-skills could stand some improving), I just have to wait my turn and one day I'll enter a new phase where I have the time to make the vision in my head a reality.

I think if I ever manage to build up something that could be considered a little homestead, I'd probably have to name it Laughingstock. Haphazard and unorthodox, my execution of plans can be all over the map sometimes. I don't usually get the results I want, but I do learn from things that happen. Not all my mistakes this year were due to a lack of time - just lack of wisdom. For example, next year I will only plant things that are really important to me (radishes? forget you), and I will label them well. You might see in the centre of my basket a teeny tiny onion - the only of my Spring Onions to survive, thanks to my moms way-ward Kale plants. If I had put up a real marker, and not just two sticks marking the rows I probably could have had more of them. Maybe even actually in Spring.

I'm hoping that when the day comes where my full time occupation is staying home to take care of a family, house, and garden (chickens included!), I will remember the lessons I'm learning in this stage and be able to avoid them.

*on a side note that I find hilarious: we had some squash plants of some sort (yet to be determined) sprout up in a spot where our compost pile used to be, and they are THRIVING, whereas the zucchini and butternut plants I actually started indoors and lovingly transplanted are not. What the?

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