Thursday, April 24, 2008

Spring Meditations

Plant husbandry is easy for me. Taking care of the plants with a little water here, and a pluck of an unwanted tree seed there, and perhaps pulling the mulch back a bit so that the sun can get to the seedling a little better.
Just walking around my little gardens, and seeing how well everything seems to be growing. Amazing! Asparagus popping up, even though the plants are still smaller than a pencil around, so not big enough to eat... yet! Blueberry flowers, almost covered with bees. Seedlings popping up in holes all around. Flowers blooming. Squatting down next to the pond to watch the frogs sitting peacefully on the other side. Noticing the ripple of the water, and the sun reflecting from the edges of the ripple. 40-11 tomato volunteers trying to come up. Onions and shallots growing quickly. Some of the kale has gone to little yellow flowers that the bees are on also. Free seeds soon. Warm air gently drifting, making the bright green leaves on the trees dance merrily.

All of these things I notice, while letting my mind absorb them, and heal me from whatever stress or fatigue I have accumulated during the day.

Spring. Meditate. Enjoy life. Life is good. Spring life is good, because it reveals all of the sleeping wonder that winter's grip has hidden from view.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Spring Planting...

The last couple of weeks have seen a rush of planting in the garden. I've got the perennials up and blooming, and it looks like we are going to have lots of food.

I've been planting things all over the place, and of course have lost track of some of the things I've planted. Luckily for me, all of them are edibles, and I'll figure them out when they come up. I do know that there will be lots of tomatoes, since I've got quite a few volunteers by the spot where they were growing last year. Plus, I've planted out 3 seedlings, also.

Mary and I stopped in at the nursery a week ago, and got collards, brussels sprouts, lettuce, and several kinds of basil. I got 2 Pak-choy plants too. I sometimes wonder where I'm going to put all of these plants, but I always seem to find a spot for another plant. It will get easier in the front, when the daffodils greens die back, but that won't be for a month or 2 yet. In the mean time, I'm so enjoying all of the spring growth!

Soon, I'll be out planting squash seeds around the neighborhood in abandoned land. Might as well have some food from that too. I may do cucumbers like that too. Depends on the sun in the area I'm planting. I also might sneak over to the community college and plant some things in the unmown sunny spots. All that grass, just itching to have some squash growing with it.