Getting ready to plant is a long process. It is a process that I always want to hurry through. But I tend a garden with my better half, and must be ever mindful of the fact that he has other plans.
He is the soil builder. It is at this time of year that he works his magic. He does a good job of it. When we started a garden, this soil was practically a rock ridden clay field. Now it is a fluffy bed of rich organic SOIL.
Patience, he tells me...as he methodically goes about repairing the terraced beds. We garden on a hillside - a southerly slope, and he decided long ago, the best thing would be to terrace the raised beds. Occasionally, these retaining walls need repair..and springtime is when he does this...
Meanwhile, I am chomping at the bit, nagging him to hurry up, "I need to get the broccoli out of the green house and into the ground!"
Patience, he tells me...as he meanders over to the compost pile and shovels out the 2 year old bins of black gold. There was a time when he would screen the compost, sifting out only the choice nuggets...but I don't have time for him to do this today. "The lettuce is calling for release from it's crowded flat!"
I know his methods are correct..the time to prepare and feed the soil is now, and it will be worth it. The pay off will come and I will be glad for it..but right now, I just want to dig in and get going.
Sometimes, I have to walk away...when I get too impatient.. so I wandered over to where the daffs are blooming. And seeing them makes me remember to stop and just enjoy the process of growing a garden. It is a thought that appeals to the spinner in me. I enjoy the steps involved with spinning fiber. There are days to prepare fiber...and days to spin. I make better yarn when I slow down and enjoy the steps involved along the way...so it reminds me to enjoy the steps incorporated to produce a fruitful garden....now, get out of the way and let me plant the broccoli!
9 comments:
Rofl - it sounds just like me and 'him' except we don't have a grenhouse and everything is on windowsills. He's fixing the polytunnel door today and I've been imnpatiently planting more seeds in trays.
However, my peas are 'up' and that will give me a focus for my excitement for the time being - lol
I am the same way. Could it be that we just want to see green after months of brown? What you need to remember is the quicker you get it in the quicker the canning will begin. I planting is the easy part the canning just seems to never end sometimes. I can wait on that!
I think it was the second year we were in our house when the gardening bug bit me very throughly. Shortly after it become obvious that the infatuation wasn't going away, the husband came home one day with one of those excess bits of garden decoration that yuppie stores are fond of selling.
It was a step stone engraved with a pretty flower, and the words.... "Grow Damnit" on it. :)
Karen
for 10 years, i was ''the greenhouse lady'', a neighbor has 4, raising 75acres of vine crops..melons squash,pumpkins, gourd, tomatoes....
this is the 2nd spring,i am greenhouse-less....and am seriously considering building my own..reading todays blog entry, reminded me, how much i miss it, and how overpowering the memories of my son's HATRED, of greenhouses really was...we spent hundreds of hours, side by side, working, in the spring, to get a jump on the crop...
Ah there's nothing like a freshly tilled, fluffy garden and a ton of veggie-filled flats! I have let my gardening and my greenhouse sit idle for a year due to increased workloads at work. But this blog entry has inspired me!! Yeah, it's too late to sprout the seedlings, but I can support the farmer's market and buy there starts. Yay for gardening!
Oh, Cyn, you had me rolling - your description of the preparer and the planter is a gem. I seem to remember similar exchanges between my parents. Beautiful pictures as always. I love your blog - it makes me remember good things and reminds me what is important.
Your soil looks delicious! And I bet your broccoli is as impatient as you are to get into the soil. Great photos & splendid daffodils!
I've been working with my 13 year old son and breaking new ground (dealing with all those Pennsylvania rocks and clay). He has finished his very own little garden spot and planted some seeds. About two hours after planting he said "my seeds are germinating in there"! He keeps saying he's so proud of all the work he did and that he just can't wait for things to grow! Its nice to work with him side by side. Good memories for both of us.
wow on the photos!!
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