bring a song with every step.
Honest hands,
knead, sift, pull, poke and pat,
tucking in seeds like children.
Legs sore,
shoulders pink,
hair full of debris, and
I am born again--
up through the earth
pulled as if on a string
toward all the light
of the world.
--M.Elliot
Well, it's certainly not a fancy poem, but I did write it, and it's the truth. Every year when Spring comes, usually waltzing into my neighborhood sometime in April, I become a born-again gardener. I mean, it's not like I really forget about my garden, far from it--I dream about it, sketch it out, order 50 billion seeds (from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds--my fave), look at pictures of the garden from years past--BUT, until She actually shows up, it's like I didn't really believe it. You know, like say, delicious chocolate-- it's super tasty, but until it's melting on your tongue, you really can't grasp the depths of its awesomeness, the richness of the experience. Garden dreaming is wonderful, but it's 2D--putting your hands in that dirt is a whollllllle 'nother experience. You hear me?
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| I made these raised beds out of pallets |
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| If you're going to make a strawberry pallet garden, you're going to need a piece of plywood for the back--garden cloth alone ain't gonna cut it! |
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| Big clamps and a drill will be necessary |
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| Voila! |
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| a concrete block makes a swell sedum planter |
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| garlic is looking good, snap peas are planted by the length of fence and cauliflower, broccoli and spinach are in the cold frame |
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| radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, bok choy, and spinach are in this bed |
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| indoor grow operation: hollyhocks, borage, bees friend, calendula, cosmos, moonflowers, and peppers |
So, that's what I've been doing instead of blogging this last month! Next time I'll tell you about my chickens and adventures in fencing. Until then, I'll sign off with some nerdy garden humor. Happy growing, Friends!
