Our kids are happy to help, most of the time. They actually (believe it or not) enjoy picking up limbs and sticks from the yard. For Caleb those sticks make a great sword for fighting off those dreadful dragons lurking about, and for Laci, she's just a darn good helper, when it comes to her daddy anyway.
Me? I've been tending to my little garden off the back of my porch. It's small, and easy to manage. We've had large gardens in the past, down the backside of our property. Our neighbor is a landscaper and has a tractor, he always tilled up our garden and we tended it together, both families reaping the benefits. But, one or two things would always take place, we would have more than we could eat, some even wasted from lack of eating, or the "dog days" of summer would hit, and everything would dry up. And unless you like hauling water from the creek, there was no other way to water it. And since canning isn't my thang, well, I opted for a smaller version of a garden, an organic garden by the way.
Some people were a little bit skeptical of my new garden. When it was tilled up, it had lots of rocks and clay in there. So I had to do a little work. But now she's doing great. It will take many years of cultivating to get the soil like I want it, but that's okay. I compost it weekly with egg shells, coffee grinds, and the leftover coffee from my kitchen, stems from my strawberries, and dried leaves. It's organic, remember? I've planted marigolds to ward off most bugs, although I have been sharing my sweet basil with some sort of squirmy creature. The rain wards him off somewhat. But the smell of sweet basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary and chives is a pleasant scent when wandering the backyard. So I couldn't resist. I just had to pluck some of it.
And I used it in a big pot of spaghetti sauce this weekend. It sent the most awesome aroma throughout the house. I love my garden!
The cultivating of a small garden is a joy now instead of a chore!
1 comment:
How right you are about the garden. I love fresh herbs. I've got basil as well and am even trying some red basil but for some reason it doesn't seem to be doing as well as everything else.
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