I have a love/hate relationship with my veggie patch. I love to plan it, get online and order the seeds, prepare the soil (actually Richard does that!), and sow the seeds. Then the wait ...... Over the days and weeks, little buds burst through the soil’s surface. Some make it and some don’t.It is about this time that I lose track of the identity of 50% of my seedlings and plant them with a sense of anticipation of what they are! More waiting ...... more watering, staking and fertilizing until finally flowers and then fruit appear! I am never without awe at this process and am at my happiest harvesting from my garden as I put dinner together.
Veggies grow anywhere. I have a traditional garden allocated to this end. Boxes, pots, even old bath tubs can be used to grow vegetables. The internet has all the information you will need to get started as well as the answers to any problems you might encounter.
My children enjoy seeing this process unfold and I believe the appreciation of how things grow is invaluable. In this world of hurriedness and consumption of all things manufactured, it is refreshing to smell the leaves of a tomato bush as it is being watered, feel soil between your fingers or see bees buzzing busily around herb plants. It is a fact that gardening has health benefits, so much so that I even discovered a publication called The Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. Next time you are at the garden centre, grab a packet of seeds and some soil and give it a try. It's food for the soul!
Annie
2 comments:
Totally agree. This past summer we lived in a small community in Canada. In this community everyone has a garden (including my parents). My children were amazed as they watched neighbours and their grandparents plant, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months we all found ourselves enjoying the bountiful gardens.
Our neighbours were kind enough to let my children dig in, pull carrots, raspberries, strawberries and peas by the handful and simply eat, unwashed and full of goodness.
The garden is something that pulls me straight back to my childhood. Nothing like a patch of peas to soothe my soul.
Thanks for the reminder Annie. Going online to look for seedlings now.
Susan
Annie what a great blog! Growing up there were always fresh veggies available in our backyard. Now that I have my own backyard this will have to be something I continue.
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