Mary, Mary, quite contrary… how does your garden grow?

Whoa! When did my thumb turn green? This morning's harvest - radish, lettuce, chard, kale and strawberries! Slugs, ants et al - I so beat you this time!

I posted this picture on facebook today with the very same caption. Now I have very kind friends (the same who are probably reading this). So it drew words of admiration; generous comments about my green thumb (??); some asked how I managed this, others asked for tips; another said I should write a blog sharing gardening tips.  

And so, I set off to do exactly that. Now if you’re looking for ways to ward off slugs, or gardening timetables and such, I will happily direct you to gardening blogs that I have bookmarked somewhere and that I barely dare to look at, for they overwhelm me with their military exactitude and disciple.

So here’s my messy, undisciplined, ‘good-enough’, ‘only till it’s fun’, small-chunks-of-time, small-chunks-of-energy, small-chunks-of-expectations and other unconventional, but therapeutic gardening methods.

Now, I am a rather clueless and unlikely gardener. I have enthusiasm that is not always backed by energy or organization. And I will confess that for the past few months, I had been rather unhappy about the way my yard has looked – the mulch is tired and gray-looking and a fresh coat is desperately needed, the gangly lavender plant wants to take over the garden, but only if the weeds don’t take over the yard first, the apple tree needs pruning - which is supposed to be done in a different season, the herbs in the herb patch are blooming away – which is not supposed to be good, and as for those garden plans shelved away for years… yes the list is endless.

And that was the sinking, dissatisfied feeling I started with this spring. The gardener who was supposed to help with all this (not my husband) has, of course, bailed on me a few times already. And I’ve been too tired to badger him. And oddly enough, low energy makes things seem more out of your control than they are.

Watching things grow is among the most joyful things in the world. And eating things that you grow is an unadulterated joy. And watching things respond to your nurturing is an indescribably joy. And being out in the sun, with my hands in the earth is yet another…and I decided I did not want to miss out on any of those.

But I somehow I knew that this would be fun only if I went small – if I bit off tiny chunks of manageable tasks and focused only on those tiny baby steps without getting engulfed by the enormity of everything that needed to be done, of everything that seemed lacking or inadequate.

I started with puppy eyes and pleas and recruited my husband’s help to move the sacks of compost and to prep two small vegetable beds (Admit it, which gardening blog is going to give you strategies as these!!). In about an hour, we decided we were done. The rest of the not-so-muscle-oriented stuff I whittled away in small, seemingly inconsequential steps. Some days I worked for ten minutes, other days I worked for half an hour. I didn’t have any grand plan or agenda; I saw no results; I saw no completeness. I did what little I had energy and enthusiasm to do and let go of the rest.

I sowed seeds in two vegetable beds and then lost interest or energy in getting the other beds ready. When I did decide to prep the other beds, I realized the young saplings needed care. So I decided to let go of the bigger plan of getting the beds ready and focused only on the little that I had going.

 

And in the fight against slugs et al vs human, the human won. Yes. Through crushed egg shells, diatomaceous earth, concoctions and teas made with neem powder and oil, dish soap, vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper – yikes! No beer baits this time – for I really do believe I saw a slug or two perched gingerly on the edge sipping the beer. No complicated methods that needed follow up and had the potential of turning stressful. Only projects that could be defined and completed in the half hour or so that I had the energy and enthusiasm for.

Oddly enough, the yard still looks fairly ungainly. The gardener is still MIA. But I feel so differently about it. For the luscious strawberries, tiny blueberries, miniscule pears, the waving fenugreek, cilantro, kale and chard, the stocky looking bok choy, and the tomatoes, squashes and peppers that hold promise have turned my yard into one happy place. It’s funny how I am able to focus on the good, the positive and let go of the rest… oh well, at least till the gardener shows up.  

 

 

 

Here’s an example of biting off small tiny chunks. Even if the second bed stared at me with it’s yawning emptiness, I focused only on the one I had energy to work on and let go of the rest. I will get to it as I can, when I can, and till it’s fun.

 

This picture says it all. I’ve tackled only a few feet of this bed for which I removed weed, amended soil. I planted some, then energy dwindled, and I lost some plants (wait did I forget to water?)… sigh… I will plant something in the remaining prepped soil. Then tackle the next few feet.
By the time, I reach the end of this bed, summer may probably be over – but that’s okay.
For I hope I will focus on the bounty from the first few feet than the barren of the last few.