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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Garden - Ready for Spring!

Yesterday, in the office, I kept thinking that, by the weekend, I should buy the cinder blocks and give the polytunnel a new "look". The project has been in my mind for a while now.

I kept thinking I would go to the builder's shop on Saturday, then, as soon as I got home, I saw the shining sun in the crispy air, and could not wait any longer.

I ran to the shop and got 12 blocks and 4 bags of topsoil.

So here they are, after I carried them from the car, to the front door, and through the sitting room... My back hurts, my arms hurt, but it's a great feeling. I've made it!

Then I told my kids I found a guest in the polytunnel, and they both came to see her.

That's our new garden pet, a little green frog, scared to death by us.

After clearing the polytunnel from weeds and rubbish,  I placed cardboard on the soil, and placed the blocks as I wanted them. I have abandoned the romantic idea of wooden raised beds, they rot and must be fixed or replaced every year.

In the left corner, I placed also a piece of garden net, shaped as a cylinder, that will aid the growth of the beans and peas. I made sure is nice and firm in the soil.

On the right, a terracotta pot that will probably house the melon plants and maybe a strawberry or two...

And there, in the green coat and lilac hat, is my little daughter, emptying the little pots into the raised bed we just built. She loved the task and she loves the frog. She kept talking about the little pots and the little frog and it was just awesome to involve her in the work. Last night, at the dinner table, she could not stop telling she had worked with Mamma in the garden and there was a little frog that kept climbing and falling... The smile on her face was the greatest reward I could possibly ask for!

The layout is not complete yet, there will be more net and more pots and I'm glad I also managed to sort the seeds I have at home, so I can plan what and where to plant.

Last night then, I dreamt of my Grandmother. She worked the land and raised cows, chicken and rabbits all her life. There was no choice for her. It was either that or starvation.

The way this kind of hard work reconnects me with where I come from it's amazing. I feel closer to my ancestors, closer to my parents than ever when I get to put my hands in the dirt.

This year we'll hopefully have a better organised garden, every year it gets better, and finding this solution with the cinder blocks it's a great achievement for me. It means I won't have to start from scratch every single Spring and we are ready to go in no time.

We will get there, slowly but surely.


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