Garlic and Gooseberries: Digging In

After deep knee bends in yoga and a 5-mile run for my husband, spending the day prepping the garden was perhaps not the best idea. We could barely move the next day, but it was the satisfying kind of soreness that comes from having accomplished something exciting.

For the actual planting that week I called on my young friend who is a graduate student here in town, the daughter of very dear Portland friends. We have eaten delicious vegetables from her father’s stellar garden for years and I was hoping she had inherited her dad’s green thumb. Who knows if she does indeed have his gardening genes, but her enthusiasm and the easy conversation and bonding that comes from digging in the dirt together must certainly have given our plants a good start.

Together we decided where the plants should go, grouping similar types of vegetables together. We discovered a brick path, which I will excavate later, that divides the plot into 4 quadrants, and we used that as our guide. One quadrant, where some lettuce and onions were already happily growing, got filled up with arugula and swiss chard starts, and the kohlrabi plants. The garlic I had transplanted the day before is there, but not looking too happy: we will see what happens to it. We left space for me to plant spinach seeds another day.

Another square, where the oregano plant held court, we filled with herbs, planted in a U-shape so I can easily step in and snip off what I need. Thyme, basil and tarragon join the sage, oregano, chives and mint, and I am experimenting with lemon balm, lemon verbena and chamomile to dry for teas.

In the sunniest quadrant we planted 3 rows of leeks, 6 eggplant starts, 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash starts. I am a bit nervous about those zucchini. They look so small and innocent now, but I know how large and, hmmmm, generous, they can be once they get going. I may be sharing a lot later this summer.

The last quadrant will be interesting. I thought I had bought Brussel sprouts, which I had loved growing in Oregon. Finding the sprouts hidden under the leaves of the tall stalks just tickled me every time. But oh no! The tag in the little pot says these plants are broccoli! More green worms on our plates? But we planted them anyway and I will soak the florets in salt water to lure the little bugs out. Similarly, what I thought were spaghetti squash starts might in fact be acorn squash. We will see what grows! I am not sure there is really room for any squash: in Portland our squash and melons and pumpkins grew riotously over a huge area. We have a much smaller space here, but that has not stopped my enthusiastic over planting.

This garden is most definitely becoming a metaphor for life: you plant the seeds in good faith with the help of good friends, and then you really just have to wait to see what grows. Patience, care, tolerance, adaption and acceptance: we will see if I have what it takes.