Remember this? Back in October of last year I cracked each head open, peeled apart the individual cloves, and planted each one deep within a manure-rich soil. Down went a thick bed of hay, and then winter arrived, covering the whole garden with an even thicker blanket of snow that didn't fully melt until a month ago
Guess what happened?
Life.
Nature never ceases to impress me with its powerful desire to live and multiply. This drive is particularly evident in spring, when everything is racing to make up for lost time.
Some plants seem to want nothing more than good soil and a little protection. They don't need fussing, and in fact they get a little flustered if they sense that they're putting you out at all. Show them their room and they'll be fine. Don't bother trying to carry their bags for them, they'll wave your hand away with a "Just tuck me in here, love, I don't need anything else." Garlic is like that.
And then you have those dastardly little weeds, poking their heads through the soil, thumbing their noses at you as they take advantage of an earthy meal you prepared for another guest. Freeloaders.
As I welcome another season, I'm already reminded how much of gardening is a constant dance between detachment and attentiveness. You can never know for sure what the outcome will be, you can only do your best, learn from things that go wrong, and know that you gave it your best shot.
I am amazed every spring when the garlic pops through the winter straw cover. We've had so much rain this spring that garlic may be our only crop!
ReplyDeleteGardening is the antidote to perfectionism. There are too many factors to control, so you just do what you can and leave the rest up to Fate/Mother Nature, even if sometimes she plays dirty!
ReplyDeleteImagine my good fortune to have some blog reading time this AM & to have 1st chosen you. The past few posts of MD S & W & that handsome boy Lincoln, your trip to MN w/ the conversations you had and & the effect of them on you plus the yummy garlic photo & post - thank you, Mizzy, this is just what I needed today.
ReplyDeleteXOXO
I'm just learning how to garden here in my new state/climate and it's simultaneously exhilarating and humbling.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true. We have an interesting variety of conditions in our little yard, and no end of planning on my part can defeat the vagaries of nature. What I expect to thrive fails, and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteNature does have its own timeline and will. Back at the end of March, I planted a wild geranium given by a good friend. The little thing sat in my garden and grew a little bigger. Suddenly, a dastardly, but cute, rabbit found it to be quite tasty and now I have a nubbin of a plant. Only time will tell if the geranium comes back.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday here, since I don't have a twitter account!
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