I apparently have a new hobby. Gardening. Where before, I potted flowers and set them out, here I have a space to plant things in tha ground. I invested in a hoe to get weeds out and work tha soil a bit. Then came a garden rake.
A neighbor invited me to a greenhouse excursion with her, and recommended her favorite cherry tomatoes. I got two plants, and one of sweet little yellow tomatoes, some basil (two kinds) for a large pot I had, and some strawberry plants for a next-door neighbor’s garden. A day or so earlier, this next-door neighbor had invited me over for a garden tour that included a box-bed for strawberries. She had generously offered to share–and her rhubarb, too–which I happily tapped into, made rhubarb crisp, and shared some with her.
With new plants and supplies in hand, I potted tha basil and prepped a small garden plot on tha south side of our garage. When I saw tha next-door neighbor, I brought tha strawberry plants. We prepped tha box-space and planted them. She delegated care of them to me and we’ll both share tha bounty.
Speaking of bounty, another friend of this neighbor next door had gifted her with a dozen or so heirloom tomato plants of various varieties. (He was a retired greenhouse worker and had planted extras.) There were way more plants than my neighbor had room for in her garden–so she asked if I had room for a few more in mine. I did, so six more plants of heirloom tomatoes are being fostered in my garden.
In all of this, I’m leaning. She’s teaching me what she knows about gardening plants and sharing her wonderful, creative self. Her garden is not a square space with perfect rows. No, hers is more like a Bohemian English garden, with a collection of circular and oblong plots, fenced-in spaces for individual plant patches–peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, etc. I love its quirky creative organic-ness.
I’m enjoying the learning, camaraderie, and blessing of a gardening partner and wonderful women who’ve welcomed me in this neighborhood.