Thursday 9 January 2014

BECOMING A GARDENER

Not having my own home in years and years I did not know what it was like to tend to the soil. To have the desire to establish and grow a garden. When Justin, Tamika and I moved into our first home together, when I was six months pregnant with Jarvis, I faced an overgrown unmanageable yard that was basically inaccessible.


In the two years we lived at Burn Street I fought that yard, I fought... until I leant to yield. It was then I learnt how to become a gardener.

When we moved into this house the backyard was just a large dirt strip. In the three and a half months we have lived here I have been working with the earth to grow a sustainable garden. One that is aesthetically pleasing, yet more importantly, one that provides us with food.

Each time I plant, I learn new things. New things about food I have not grown before. New things about old favourites. But more importantly new things about myself.

I have landscaped this yard with the knowledge it is a rental and one day we will have to move. But I also plant it for the now, knowing it provides a haven for Jarvis and food for our bellies.

Anyone can do this. Yes, even renters. Obviously I have go to the furthest point a renter can go, but most, if not all of my food can also be grown in large tubs or containers.

My financial outlay has been minimal in regards to the food side of the garden. Bar for seeds, seedlings and a few wooden stakes, all has been scourged and recycled.


The image you see below may not be the most interesting image. But for me it is the highlight of my garden. Grass clippings dried and used as bedding in the chicken pen. Then when the pen is cleaned out each morning the clippings, and poo, go onto the garden bed as mulch. Mulch that keep the soil moist, the weeds at bay and the poo nourished the dirt. Which in turn then will grow tomatoes.



You do not need much 'stuff' to grow a garden, just the desire. Oh and chicken poo helps as well!




 

12 comments:

  1. He is such a busy gardener, how sweet. Happy 2014, stopping by from To The Sea

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm SO allergic to plants in general. My parents thought I was lying to get out of raking the leaves one time and i had hives up and down my arms (DESPITE WEARING GLOVES). Now that I'm older I would love to do a garden- although my 3rd floor apartment building would state otherwise. Maybe one day when I have a home with a yard I can bribe her to help ;)


    I love that Jarvis helps you. I'm sure it's nice to have an activity that you both enjoy doing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. He thinks everything to do with the garden is playtime. Which is great

    ReplyDelete
  4. If any gardeners out there want chicken poo we unfortunately have lots of it but no plants! Someday!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL, lucky for us we have more plants than poo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. liz @ Strayed Table13 January 2014 at 15:26

    Stumbled across your blog today, and thought you might like to join our online garden group. We do a tour around our veggie patches each month. We also do seed swapping too. http://www.strayedtable.com/grow/garden-share/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heading over now to read your blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. wonderful! You should link to mammasaurus, 'how does your garden grow' linky...i think it's today x

    ReplyDelete
  9. what's the blog? Have not heard/read it

    ReplyDelete
  10. here it is lovely, the linkup is every Thursday xxx http://mammasaurus.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete

Comments are almost as good as getting a letter or parcel in the mail.