The Happy on Hypatia Avenue No. 2: The Good Life
Next in my series of The Happy is the beginning of The Good Life which started when I bought a tomato plant in July. I've never grown or kept plants before but had the urge to do so when we had some bright sunny days and our balcony was getting sunshine all afternoon and evening. So the tomato plants came home with me one weekend and then followed several excited early Saturday morning wake-up calls to my husband who patiently listened with one eye open while I stood at the foot of the bed in gardening clothes, exclaiming about the flowers and the tiny green things that might turn into fruit soon.
We eventually got the first fruit from the plant and there was much rejoicing. Then Mr Hypatia brought home two boxes of salad plants for window boxes that had been sent to his office for press purposes - nobody wanted them so he brought them home to me, his wife with new green fingers! There was much more rejoicing and many nights of fresh spinach, mizuna and baby chard.
The salad boxes haven't survived the wet and stormy weather very well but the spinach is still good. We'll have carrots at the end of October which should be interesting... and the tomatoes are still bravely growing though the days are shorter and the air is colder.
It has made me immensely happy and proud to get over my childhood dislike of soil and gardening. I've had meals made from things I've grown myself, and even though we're far from self-sufficent (we've grown six tomatoes so far but I cook with minimum 12 for a basic sauce so that's *very* far from self-sufficient), I do appreciate organic vegetables far more. I get stupidly excited at farmers markets and no longer turn my nose up at the prices.
I've even got on my hands and knees to dig around in compost with my bare hands. AND just this week, I picked off two enormous caterpillars without screaming. I have come a long way. And when we get the house of our dreams with the roof terrace garden, I will be ready to go even further.
1 comment:
Mr Planethalder is the green fingered person in our household. He'd never gardened before we moved here and this summer he planted spinach, mizuna, herbs, tomatoes... Next, root vegetables. Since I am the one who actually stays at home, I think I should at least help him out with the weeding. I will try and feel inspired by your post and get myself into the garden!
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