When I downsized, I had a tick list of what I wanted. As a
writer of fiction, I pretty much was able to conceive getting everything my heart desired.
One of my ‘I would like’ was to have a smallish garden. And in that garden I would grow pretty flowers, plants and vegetables.
It wasn't to be. What I have is a back garden that is mostly flagged, badly, and
very ugly. The above picture is of somebody else's.
Another 'I would like' was a solid raised bed (to bend over without
wrecking my back), in which to grow lots of yummy, healthy vegetables easily. However,
this is England and it does rain a lot. And because costs have to be contained,
compromise is the only way I could have the cake and eat it too. A brick
construction was too expensive, so I opted for a wooden one. The price for a ton
of soil was an unpleasant surprise too, but I was already committed.
I planted onions, potatoes, garlic, salad, and turnips. The
onions were beautiful. The seven potatoes I pushed into the soil produced a
very pleasing amount for a beginner. The mixed salad leaves grew faster than I
could eat them. The garlic disappeared and caterpillars stripped my turnips of their leaves.
Lots of sun, wind, rain and months passed, and finally it was time to harvest. So I got out there with alacrity and returned inside with similar speed.
Woe is me, why is my soil crawling with black flies? I asked aloud.
The answer wasn't quite, 'Fear not my child,' but near enough. My digging on the internet resulted in reassurances such as, I had nothing really to worry about but I could treat the problem, or
let nature take its course. I chose the latter.
It is now Spring and I have noticed that my raised bed's planks are not
as sturdy as before and it wobbles, probably due to the amount of water in the soil etcetera. I am not going to think about having to scoop and tidy away a ton of soil if the thing collapses.
I wonder what 2020 has in store for this amateur gardener
and writer of creative fiction? More of my Vicious Vignettes for definite. There's three collections so far. I love
writing those because they're fun and perfect for everyday life. Or maybe I should just run away? But I haven't a clue where to and of course that isn't the end of the story.
A fabulous true account of how life is, a very entertaining read x
ReplyDeleteThank you. I enjoyed writing about my garden and my exploits. :)
DeleteThis year will be a better year. I’m relying on it as I only had two courgettes last year having always heard of people having so many courgettes from a single plant they had no idea what to do with them all in previous years! Some lovely sweet peas in big pots would look lovely too- and smell divine! Happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteThis is so encouraging, thank you. I will do courgettes but not sure about peas. Maybe sweet peas? Oh, and runner beans. Lots of runner beans. :)
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