In preparation for Spring I have made my way to the nursery for supplies, trays of seeds have been planted out and the veggie patch weeded and fertilised. A new flower garden is also in progress. I quite like the idea of cut flowers for the house.
From a few small beds which contained nothing but weeds when we first moved in, my garden has slowly and lovingly grown. At first gardening seemed a little overwhelming. Planting times, sowing depths, row widths, sunlight requirements, pests, soil conditions. So much information to process and retain. But, like learning about new friends, a picture slowly builds up. Snow peas need to be planted in moist soil, then not watered until the seedlings come up. Tomato plants are heavier than you would think. Powdery mildew should clear up as the weather warms up. Crushed egg shells deter snails. Each failure teaches me. Each obstacle I overcome is filed away. With each success my confidence grows. It's easy to understand why there are so many keen gardeners.
Now those garden beds have grown to contain rows of garlic, silver beet, beetroot, onion, spring onion, sweet potato, strawberry, lettuce, potato, peas, parsnip, carrot and cherry tomatoes, plus an eggplant, capsicum, gooseberry, blueberry and mulberry plant, two pineapple plants, as well as basil, parsley, mint and rosemary. The seed trays contain beans, watermelon, rainbow chilli, ornamental egg plant, apricot, lychee, leeks, tomatoes, onion and poppies.
Each season brings with it the prospect of trying something new, watching as seeds begin their cycle and harvesting seeds again when the cycle comes to it's end. By trusting in the seeds, the weather, time and a little luck, I have the privilege of eating the rewards of my labour.
