Why, you may ask? Because it’s
fun, rewarding, and puts idle time to good use. A gardener has a busy life, yet
he or she takes time out to nurture something tiny, a seed, an idea, a dream.
See where I’m going? Gardeners take the necessary steps to bring forth that
which is in the head into fruition. By the way, I love fruit.
It all begins with an idea, a
thought. You look at a piece of greeny grass and envision a garden in full
bloom. First, you lay the ground work. I have no tiller for my small garden so
I borrowed my neighbors to carve out a twelve by twelve area.
Next, comes the separation and
clarity of direction. I decide if the size is too big or small and make
adjustments. Then I rake out the grass, put it in a pile to burn, and smooth
out my fresh Earth.
Next, I imagine crops in full
bloom, though I haven’t planted a thing. How much space does each plant need to
grow? What kind of irrigation system will I use to water? What kind of
fertilizer to buy? What exactly to plant and what will it all cost?
Now that I have taken care of
the hard stuff, it is time to get going with the actual manual labor. A labor
of love. I make my rows, plant and water, then go inside under the cold air-conditioning.
It is time to kick back and marvel at the feat I have accomplished. Daily, I
venture out to the garden and water. Then weed and rake. Nurturing. When my
garden blooms, I notice too many plants in one area and not enough in another.
Time for adjustments, I thin and replant.
Now, I have nothing to do but
water and wait for the first blooms. I can go about my daily business, stopping
to check, ever so often until the next stage. After my garden has brought forth
its bounty and I partake of my Harvest (enjoying some now and putting up the remainder
for leaner times) comes the last stage, removing everything and preparing for
next year. I think back on what I did right and what I did wrong and note ways
of improving the next garden, next year. My mind is ablaze with scenarios. Here it is winter, and I can’t wait for
summer to get started. This garden will be ten times better than the last. Why?
I’ve done it once, it was a challenge, but I made it through and now no how to
do it better.
One of the pleasures of
gardening is the time I get to rest and relax. This is when I get ideas for my
stories. Rarely am I stuck, but if so, gardening offers the diversion and
environment I need to find my solution. Things just come to me while I’m
gardening. I love gardening. How about you?
