Filed under: Planning
The rabbit has nested in the hostas, I can’t decide whether to mow around or beneath the canoe in the back yard and there are baby swallows living in my chimney. These are the small things that tell me spring is truly in full swing. I will now live the next twelve weeks listening to the fluttering of the mama swallow feeding her babies and the ensuing squeaks. I will now wait for the tiny rabbits to be born, blind with small ears laid back against their heads. I will mow around the canoe for a couple of weeks and then move it.
But also, more importantly, my strawberry patch is in full bloom and the plants are standing up strong and healthy. The chives have stood their ground and are even taller. And the salad table is showing signs of life as well.
It is with some dismay that I have finally come to terms that my local eating style is to find local farmers, rather than to successfully grow my food in the back yard. There will be some lettuce. And there should be strawberries, if I figure out who eats them and how to keep that from happening. But for me, eating local is clearly not as simple as having a garden.
So what is my problem growing stuff, I wonder. Is it a lack of time and attention to my garden? Nope. Lack of water? Nope. Lack of energy or will? Nope. Is it poor soil? Maybe. Is it the competition with critters? Indeed that has been a major issue for me. Rabbits, crows, and unknowns. But how do 200 strawberries disappear overnight? Who ate the tomato plants down to the roots?
I am letting the strawberries proliferate outside the fenced in garden this year. Let them take over the lawn. I’m not into lawns anyway. Let me see if I can provide them with enough nourishment outside the garden. There’s got to be a way to grow enough strawberries that I can share.
Spring has returned with all my standard spring time wishes. A garden full of berries and a pocketful of chives…
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