Whodathunk?
Jun 18th, 2008 by Laura
Confession time.
I’ve never been a gardener before and never really thought I wanted to be. Sure I put tomatoes in pots every year. And I planted perennial gardens with flowers, shrubs and trees. But I never gardened in the way that most people mean. I never watered on any kind of set schedule. I was a haphazard weeder at best. I believed in planting things that could withstand benign neglect.
And now? Now I’ve got a huge vegetable garden and a steadily growing herb garden. I’m contemplating putting in raspberry canes and blueberries, rhubarb and grapes. I’m already looking forward to trying to keep things going under a poly tunnel this year. I’m stalking the internet for the perfect greenhouse plan.
I come home from work, change my clothes and head outside. I pull weeds, I thin seedlings, I pinch tomato suckers and train my peas to climb. I hunt for signs of new asparagus spears and hill potatoes. I worry about watering and sun and what the weather is going to do tomorrow.
I agonize over what is germinating and what has failed. I mourn the loss of that Brussels sprout start that never looked very healthy anyway and cheer on the ones that have recovered. I hill up my broccoli to keep the stems steady and strong.
I carefully select lettuce leaves and radishes for salad. I hunt for the struggling onions to pull for green onion. I sample pea leaves and spinach, broccoli raab leaves and mint. I call Mike over to check out the first small head of broccoli and impatiently wait for the pole beans to sprout.
I am, I think, a gardener. Whodathunk?
I love it! I’m right there with ya. My Dad always laughs when he’s out visiting and proclaims “P~… Your a farmer!? Where the H*** did that come from?” Who knows I guess, well, in your case no doubt from your upbringing, but in some of us I think it’s just a spontaneous eruption of greenthumbitis. Great post.
P~
Me too! I feel such a sense of accomplishment this year - I’ve actually planted stuff on time and kept them alive and thriving. I always considered myself a dabbler, but lately people are describing me as a farmer. I guess I better get used to it.
I felt the same way a few years ago when I realized I was actually keeping plants alive and getting enough to eat. It is so much fun!
P~, maybe it should be in my blood, but until this year I was just never really interested. So it’s nice to feel it kicking in.
Denise, same here! Who knew it would be so much fun to be a farmer/gardener!?!
Christy, it is fun in a very satisfying way. I love going out to the garden and browsing for salad. Can’t wait until there’s more there than lettuce though…
I was exactly the same way until this year. I love heading out to my garden and just watching (it’s small and there isn’t much to do with it). And thanks for mentioning “hilling” the brocolli. Didn’t know you were supposed to do that (you’d think I’d read some books or something, eh?). But I saw the first inkling of a tiny broccoli in the centre of the plant, so I think it’s doing okay. I’m also dreaming about greenhouses!