Two Views of the Garden

I was looking through some of my photos and came across this one I took of the vegetable garden last March.

I was surprised, I guess. I mean, I know what it looks like in winter, but I kinda forget when I’m in the harvesting season:

This is what gardeners dream of in the winter when the garden’s all bare. We plan and plot and dream of new varieties, new flavors, and new colors.

As I sit pouring over catalogs, this is the garden I see in my mind.

And of course everything is perfect and all the seeds sprouted to produce lovely fruits and vegetables.

When I can see all the outlines of the garden, I can imagine what I will plant and what I need to be doing. It’s all in my head (and maybe on paper), and it’s just as I’d dreamed.

When I can’t, all I can do is try to keep up with the watering, harvesting and replanting (and maintenance- ugh- I dropped the lid down on my cold frame and knocked a piece of glass out).

And grouse and complain about all the bugs eating my beans, baby grasshoppers eating my fall plantings, and mice eating everything.

There are some things we are managing to eat, and I’m not complaining about that at all.

Funny thing is, come October I will be happy to see it go to sleep for the winter. I always am ready for a break right about then.

Maybe that’s why my “winter” garden only happens in my dreams.

-Jami

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