I love to grow vegetables but I hate to harvest.
I love to start start vegetables from seed. Even before the first set of leaves unfurl, I’m dreaming about planting each seedling in my raised garden beds. I carefully labeled everything so I can track who grows where…
I visit my garden every day, looking and observing, noting each plants’ stresses and successes.
This is my meditation. When I’m in the garden the rest of the world goes away; It’s just me and the plants.
And then they flower And then they fruit.
It takes a few months for tomatoes to turn crimson and gold against grass-green leaves. Eggplants bloom lavender and yellow, then morph to round, deep purple fruits. I try to be patient as peppers mature from deep green to red or orange or yellow.
Patty pan are my favorite squashes. Their round shapes and scalloped edges remind me of spinning tops and alien space ships.
Have you ever grown a pumpkin? Their vines grow long enough to fill an entire garden. And their small flowers become enormous, glowing orange orbs.
Nature is so wonderful!
When its harvest time, my heart sinks a little.
I hate to harvest.
Yes, I know that growing vegetables is about eating vegetables and that home grown produce taste delicious, but MY GARDEN IS ART! Growing a garden is growing art. Tearing the garden apart, tears a bit of me apart, too.
This year, I have a new strategy. Because of the quarantine, my husband is home and doing much of the cooking. I’ve asked him to take over the harvest, too. Please, I said, it’s too hard for me.
So late in the afternoon, he heads to the garden and returns with a big bowl of my beautiful produce. Rather than picking my garden apart, I can simply enjoy the fruits of my labor.
This might just work out….
