Planting with my new Shovel

Grasses are suddenly high but the garden isn't planted yet!

Over two years ago  in anticipation of the garden home we hoped to have one day in Bear River, Larry bought me 2 really good garden shovels for Christmas. The entire family showed some surprise at my teary response to this. Earlier that month Larry and I had finally decided to take the leap and move three provinces east to Nova Scotia where we had only spent a total of 6 weeks on vacation. The shovels were symbolic of our decision and they also said loud and clear that I was going to have a place to use them.

Garlic planted last October is looking strong and healthy.

Last fall I finally took one out of its plastic cover and used it to plant garlic and some Crocosmia bulbs.  What a difference the proper tool made! It cut into the soil like butter.  In the past I had used cheap tools. They seemed to be good enough for our tiny urban garden.

Sometimes I wish I had a 'bigger shovel'...like Bill's plough.

Fast forward to today where I am writing this post from a spot under our Willow tree. The birds are singing and there is a cool breeze blowing away some of the black flies. In case you think this is too idyllic, I am also wearing my bug jacket, face covered, drowned in ‘Eau d’citronella’ and eucalyptus (a 50/50 home-made concoction recommended to me by potter Pat Woods.) I am also feeling way too warm from planting a couple of dozen perennials that came from 2 of the fabulous gardeners in Bear River.

Bill came back 7 months later and disced the perennial bed.

Even though the flower bed has been ploughed and disced, it still isn’t that easy to turn because it is loaded with rocks and stones.

I should be rock picking, but instead I’m trying out some landscaping fabric that was leftover from another project. It’s porous for letting in rain, but is supposed to discourage weed growth. While battling with digging each hole through the fabric,  I thought about the fact that this is the largest garden I’ve even had  and probably ever will have.  It’s been a dream to be able to grow a swath of flowers as well as our own organic vegetables.

Using landscaping fabric is a big test of the power of weeds.

The big payoff for me in the flower department will be having a variety of blooms to paint until the frost comes in late September.

A couple of days ago the future vegetable garden space was disced by Bill who had ploughed up our land last fall. Now it looks like a huge blank canvas waiting for my plants and seeds.   When he was done discing, Bill surveyed the field, scratched his head and said

“I don’t mean for you to take this the wrong way, but why are you putting in all this effort at your age? Why don’t you save yourself some work and buy some local vegetables at harvest time. This looks like too much work.”

I tried to remember what height the plants will be, but I can't even remember what's in all the pots. lol!

Bill and I are about the same age but while I spent the first 50 or so years living in downtown Toronto, Bill was out here farming and tending his cattle, and cutting and delivering cords of wood to people. So he certainly knows what hard work is and he has a good point. The money spent on buying vegetables at the roadside stand is small compared to the cost of ploughing the land, buying the seeds and plants, planting them out, watering, and generally in tending a garden.

I wouldn't have thought that planting a mere 24 plants would mean about 400 knee bends and hours and hours!!

Without thinking about it too much I told Bill that it’s good exercise for me and good for my mental health too.  I guess I was really talking about the process of making a garden and he was talking about the results. Besides which, I’ve got a couple of great shovels that still need major breaking in.

I’ve been thinking about it and here are a few more reasons why a person might grow their own vegetables:

• you know where the food you are eating came from
• organic means more flavor
• you have many more choices of varieties of vegetables
• the freshness of the food is unbeatable
• you reduce your carbon footprint when not using fuel (gas) to get to the store
• fresh air

The blank canvas aka vegetable garden that awaits me.

 Of course another reason for planting a garden is that the alternative might be painting the inside of the house. And that, to my mind might be way too much work.

Larry actually enjoys painting and doesn't even need a drop cloth!

It is all rather daunting though. Part of me doesn’t know if I’m really up to this challenge. That part taunts me saying “Hey, you’ve sat behind a computer for over 10 years, do you think you really have the stamina for this?”

The other, kinder voice says: “This isn’t a race. Take your time and enjoy the journey. Feel your effort and marvel at fact that you can be here, right now in this beautiful place.”

Meanwhile, I’m working out in my head a layout for the vegetable patch. I’d like to combine some of the ideas we learned in the Organic Gardening workshop we attended with Gilberte Doelle at the Wild Rose Farm.

There is still so much to learn and no time to waste!