graibeard

There are many activities that distract us from the daily grind but gardening still ranks as one of the best in my experience. Whether it be for the colour, the landscape or the food possibilities, the return on effort seems always to be well rewarded. Maybe not immediately, but when we take time to reflect on our efforts or relax amongst them then any distortions tend to correct. It might need a beer/wine/tea or a long sit and a few deep breaths to help it along but invariably our outlook improves.

The front garden here (a suburban block) is 90% native and has been for 25+ years. The lawn and roses were removed, woodchips added and 80 or so different species of native plants added, then after the initial settling in period it was left to its own devices and what survived became the front garden – very hardy and very rural; it’s only missing a coil of barbed wire against the gum tree to complete it. To add to the feel, even the front fence is unpainted – very rustic, some might say otherwise but we feel differently.

That left the back garden to play with; a vege garden, tree nursery, chook yard, parents retreat, kids playground, treasure trove, wilderness and now back to a vege garden. Ain’t life grand, a suburban back yard fulfilling its role!

It seems we’ve always had a vege garden in one form or another, at the very least tomatoes for fresh eating with the excess going through the bottling process (Fowlers vacola). After the possums decimated the trees in 2006 it was time to retame the back yard. This time we went for broke and ditched all the grassed areas, unused sheds, junk piles and it’s now all vege garden – even under the clothes line.

Nothing beats fresh Sweet Corn, straight from the plant, you don’t get that taste from the supermarket, juicy sweetness instead of dry starch – so that’s why they call it sweet corn? Peas that have flavour, tomatoes with thin skins and soft flesh. The list goes on and it’s all good.

The veges may be cheaper in the supermarket, but it’s not about cost. I’ve never counted the cost of the vege garden, because I’ve never counted the cost of other activities. Watching TV, reading a book, working on the car – none of these are ever costed out so why single out gardening.

How’s that for a ramble? ;-)