Today has been planting day at our house. After hours of manual labor, there is now a sun garden with cucumbers, bell peppers, chives, rosemary, thyme and three varieties of tomatoes. The shade garden has basil, cilantro, peppermint, parsley and oregano. A truckload of mulch and some flowers will follow in the coming weeks.
I have always wanted a good garden. I grew tomatoes by the bushel when we lived in Birmingham. I couldn’t grow much else but my tomatoes were brilliant. When we were in Nashville I had a great yard for a garden but I managed to be enormously pregnant the first summer and toting my baby girl during the second. That seemed to take up a lot of my time. Imagine that! Nonetheless, we had beautiful flowers but the tomatoes, peppers and herbs were less than satisfactory. This frustrated the heck out of me. My parents and my in-laws are all master gardeners. Their yards are stunning. Is breathtaking too much to ask for?
Luckily, our current house has a nice yard. It was well landscaped about 12 years ago. The bones are there – it just needs life breathed into it and crap hauled out of it. Unfortunately, a LOT of gunk builds up in a decade. A LOT. In order to clean out the 4×10 area for the shade garden, I had to scoop out 5 wheelbarrows full of leaves, rotten mulch and who knows what else. Do you know how much stuff fits into 5 wheelbarrow loads? A LOT. I think I’ve made my point. It’s not easy for me to dump a full wheelbarrow by the side of the road for the leaf truck either. Me + full wheelbarrow = freak show. I’m sure anyone who saw me is now well schooled on my lack of grace.
However, I did manage to get everything cleaned up including myself before collapsing on the sofa. I’m worn out. Done. Over and out. It’s a good feeling though. I have accomplished something important today. I want my children to know about growing herbs and veggies and about doing fun productive things outside. Of course I won’t be able to enjoy any tomatoes for about 80 days. My mouth is watering already!
