TheBanyanTree: Re: Yard Maintenance

[Anita Coia]

Pam, love that story. There is something so cathartic about gaining 
control over the garden. Though I'm not quite as motivated as you, I do 
love weeding (possible connection to being a control freak) and I love 
planting a vegie garden and eating the spoils. You learn so much - for 
example, rocket lettuce really is a weed and will take over the garden 
if you let it. And chillies get nice and hot, hot, hot if you stress 
them a little by letting them dry out. And there is NOTHING so good as 
home-grown sweet corn (provided you're not hit with a dry spell) - 
biting into the ears and having buttery sweet juice run down your chin, 
just divine.

Our water restrictions have just been lifted so I'm now in the process 
of looking at what we can plan for winter, which is breathing down our 
necks. We've had the last burst of summer these last few days so I think 
it's time to prepare the vegie garden - I just need to dig up a really 
useful piece of information about rotating the soil that I saw on one of 
our gazillion gardening programs. Something about nitrogen content - 
leafy vegies versus root vegies versus ??? 

When you think about it, it's kind of interesting that the creation 
story started in a garden...obviously it's a very important for humans 
to have their own bit of land or a few plants. Even when I've lived in 
apartments, I always had my pot plants. Perhaps they remind us of the 
fact that change occurs around us every day, despite our own efforts, 
and therefore we shouldn't waste energy sweating the small stuff. Or 
maybe it's as simple as remembering to take wonder in the many intricate 
and beautiful variations of nature.

Anita