I have wanted a large garden for years. My obsession with plants started at a very young age. It all started the day my mom bought me an African violet when I was only five years old. My diligence while taking care of the plant was unwavering. I watched it and watered it and loved it until it died a few weeks later. As an adult, my house is filled with plants and they vary in size and structure. Some are tropical and often have the neediness of a newborn, and others could easily grow anywhere and anyway. I just need to enjoy their beauty.
Overall, I have learned a lot about plants, but nothing has taught me more than the first experiences I have had these last two seasons with this year’s garden. My amazing husband built me nine raised garden beds, accessible on both sides, and multiple feet long. He also built me a greenhouse out of old windows.
I have never had so much space and so much dirt to fill, and all of this square footage has come with a huge learning curve and here is a lesson I have learned in the last few months:
- There are always more peas– For the first time ever, I am growing peas. They were an after thought in my garden. My husband and I pushed their seeds into the dirt that runs next to the large tomato plants. The tomato plants have been our main focus, so we just added these because we watched a youtube video about companion planting in your garden. Then we created a trellis with old wood and kitchen twine, and these amazing pea plants just shot up them with a quickness. The thin vines also shoot out tendrils looking for any place to wrap around and anchor the thicker base of the plant. Every few inches are dotted with small white flowers that sprout the solid pea pod filled with tiny peas. In the morning, I take out my bowl and look for the full-sized peas, and every time I think I am done, I find another when I turn my head. They hang in full glory, and sometimes, when one looks particularly ripe, I decide to eat it without allowing it to even get to the bowl. I pinch the top and pull back the string holding the pod together. The starchy, sweet of the peas is like nothing I have ever had from the plastic bags filled with similar ingredients from the supermarket. These moments in my garden remind me there can always be more and just a slight change of perspective can create an opportunity for another ripe chance for a delicious bite. In life, it can often feel as if things are done and there cannot be any more possibility from the source, but there it is again. This is especially true when the initial endeavor was more of an after-thought than any real plan. The grace and goodness of realizing that in life there is always another chance, and if it isn’t right in front of me at moment, all I need to do is wait just one more morning, and a bounty will be ready to be sowed.
Love and Light, and happy gardening!
The Wandering Empath 