I decided this week that I wanted to start a garden.
This is an odd decision for a girl like me to make. I’m not really outdoorsy. I have fancy nails, and I’m a delicious mosquito magnet. The thought of doing manual labor in the North Carolina heat doesn’t appeal to me. I’d much rather be drinking a glass of wine in the air conditioning while reading my kindle.
But I love food. I love local produce. And since roller derby and coaching have taken over a significant chunk of my free time, I lost my creative outlet – photography. I have free time. I spend it with family and friends, or just unwinding after a brain melting day at the office. I didn’t want to spend any more free time at a computer, and I wanted to make something.
I analyzed my yard with my father (who is the yard whisperer) and we determined that the best spot for the garden would be in front of the fence, where the dogs couldn’t get to it. With some advice from an expert friend, Wendy, I knew that raised garden beds would be the way to go. This spot was already flat, but was very overgrown. It gets sun for most of the day, but is far from the kitchen. In the end, though, the flat land and security from the four dogs made it the ideal choice.
I was so excited. I painted my nails green. Since I was about to be a total green thumb.
So Saturday was the big day. But then yesterday happened. A terrible day at work. I just wanted a drink. I wanted to go home and pour a big glass of Scotch and drink. But I went home and ran upstairs, changed into my torn jeans and an old shirt, found some old gardening gloves, doused myself in bug spray, and headed outside. For the next hour and a half I tore away with my hands, taking the awful day out on the weeds and overgrowth. I found a planter, three buckets, and a license plate. I tore at stubborn roots until I couldn’t grip. I dripped with sweat, and still had multiple mosquito bites, despite the toxic cloud of OFF surrounding me. I was dirty, smelly, and sore.
And happy.
Because in front of me, I began to see my garden.
Previous Journals
- This is the earliest journal.
Comments
Bojickwoman wrote:
Congratulations! Its a lot of work, but you will be so satisfied when it is complete. What are you planning on growing?
Posted on 26 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
anelson wrote:
Welcome to gardening and folia! Feel free to ask on some of the forums for advice about soil prep, rabbit protection, what and when to plant ….
Posted on 26 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
misskittin wrote:
Welcome to our world… Strange/Incomprehensible to those that don’t “get it”, frustrating at times, and sometimes just bloody hard work, but always satisfying, somehow more so the smellier, sweatier and sorer! And yes… Seeing your garden emerge for the first time is always magical (and homegrown raspberries, warm with the heat of the sun are impossible to beat).
Your nails will never be the same again (I wear gloves and make sure there’s lots of soap under mine, and they somehow survive), but that’s OK…
Posted on 26 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
nickyn wrote:
In the summer I stick to pedicures! Congrats on the new garden & welcome to Folia (:
Posted on 26 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
Smacky wrote:
Thank you all for the warm welcome! I’m going to start with squash, peppers, and hopefully tomatoes. And maybe basil, since I hear mosquitoes hate it. My goal tonight and tomorrow is to build two raised garden beds, and then I’ll need to figure out what and where to plant everything.
Posted on 27 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
doubledug wrote:
Nothing like manual labor to refocus energy; gardening is such a great channel for this. You’ll also find if you plant some flowers or flowering herbs, you’ll definitely be picking up your camera again. I’m always inspired to take some photos in the back yard, both to document and to be creative.
www.flickr.com/photos/doubledug/
Posted on 28 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
seeingreen wrote:
You’ve made a great start – plenty more sweatin’ to do! Love the nails :-)
Posted on 29 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
LouiseM wrote:
Congratulations! If you want to keep your manicure, you might want to try a pair of these though…:)
http://www.digithandwear.com/
Posted on 31 Jul 12 (11 months ago)
elerina wrote:
Oooh, what’s the blue on your ring finger? As a fellow manicured lady, gardening gloves will definitely save your manicures! It sucks to get dirt up under your nails where you don’t notice them until you take off your polish. Good luck with your gardening endeavors!
Posted on 02 Aug 12 (11 months ago)
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