GREEN FINGERS
Sung to the tune of “Goldfinger,” James Bond, my new routine every time I wake up is to peek into the spare bedroom (AKA our greenhouse in place of not having a greenhouse) to see how much my nursery of veggies and flower seedlings, basking in the morning rays, have grown overnight. Welcome to my new hobby that’s truly getting me through lockdown.
As soon as I got wind of the lockdown going into action, I knew that gardening was how I was going to spend the time freed up by cancelled holidays, social gatherings and work events. Since moving into our home 20 months ago, Nick and I have been slowly working on our overgrown garden. It had been 10 years since we had any outdoor space of our own, so it’s been a combination of moaning about an “extra chore” (“What? The grass needs cutting again?!”) and… waking up in the night thinking you didn’t water mid-heatwave, to appreciating the fresh air, green scenery, cycle of life and wildlife a garden affords you.
At the start of lockdown, just when we were about to get going, Nick and I fell ill — we felt too exhausted to do anything. Everything felt a bit overwhelming and the thought of doing anything, let alone trying anything new was off-putting. As we started to get better, slowly but surely, I managed to sow a couple of seeds from some packets I’d been holding onto, trimmed back my herb pots (thyme, mint, sage, parsley, chives and coriander) from last year and watched the new growth come through for what had been planted by the previous owners. I also split last year’s strawberries into new plants and potted them up into some hanging baskets picked up at a carboot last year and they are flourishing (unlike last year).
Without access to any shops, anything I needed for the garden had to be sourced online and, thanks to the lovely weather and everyone sorting their garden, most things were sold out. I ordered what I could and patiently waited for seeds, pots and a net tunnel, which took a few weeks to arrive. Then, a trip to a newly opened Homebase halfway through lockdown for a part for a broken tap meant I was able to top up with more seeds, compost and a few vegetable seedlings. Finally we were able to crack on with our vegetable garden using bits of old wood, net, plenty of cardboard, as well as old mattress protectors and pegs for makeshift greenhouses. It was also prime time to use the content of two compost bins that we’d inherited with the house (found loads of old avo stones!). We used the no-dig method to plant up the veg patch — Charles Dowding is my new heart throb — and Doug and Stacy, the Homesteaders on YouTube, are, in place of my actual friends, my new Friday night company and now, in place of my actual friends, both my new Friday night company and how Nick and I refer to each other (in fact I swear Nick is copying Doug’s beard).
So far we’ve planted:
Fruit and veggies: beetroot, carrots, leeks, spring onions, tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes, beans, lettuce, mustard lettuce, fennel, about 80 cabbages (yes I got carried away with that sowing),, 80 rocket plants (same day, same mistake), pak choi, chard, rainbow chard and 6 Chinese cabbages (II swung the other way and got super conservative), strawberries, rhubarb (can’t take credit for this — it came with the house and just grows and grows) and last but not least some sprouted buckwheat that I threw onto a bare patch to see what happens — I now have buckwheat lettuce! I also threw some fenugreek on a patch on a patch and got some micro greens for fancy restaurant-style garnishes.
Flowers: I also got some borage seed, marigold and chamomile seeds which have sprouted — important plants in the herbalist world, they are bee-friendly and some are good at warding off certain plant pests. I’m happy to report that last year's begonias, which I didn’t think would come back, are peeking out. I managed to save one of my coleus from last year (out of 5 massive plants!) but ‘m not having much success with echinacea — new plants and old ones (slugs!!!) — so I’m trying for the third time with seeds.
It’s been fun and it’s got dirty. It’s been a full-time job trying to keep the foxes, squirrels, badgers and slugs off the produce. And I’ve lost plants to over-watering, under-watering, too much heat on some days (my spare bedroom is South-facing with big windows and it gets HOT!) and pecking out seedlings takes forever — but that’s what podcasts are for. I dropped some cabbage seedlings and rocket seedlings off to the front doors of some of my nearby friends, which they’ve been growing with their kids on window sills and in buckets. I’ve harvested the rhubarb three times already (it’s a beast!) and made two crumbles and a rhubarb jam (will share the recipe once I’m satisfied!)
Our vegetable patch project, daily Qi Gong practice and sharing my sound baths have been the silver lining of this whole experience. I realise when I list this, it can sound overwhelming for those who haven’t had a chance to find any kind of groove in all this upheaval to social life, mental health and financial worries, let alone a hobby, BUT for the most part, I opened a pack of seeds, put them onto soil and watered them and that felt good. It gave me focus that I could do something, and I found it very nourishing. Last time I grew veggies seriously was when I was 18 or 19 and planted up my mum and dad's back garden with all sorts. I loved growing them and couldn’t bear to harvest and eat them, as I was so proud (ended up with some very tough Lollo Rosso lettuce — who’s ever had tough lettuce?!).
Growing food is a further reminder that we are nature and we are of nature. It’s also both mentally and spiritually nourishing being out in the fresh air for the day with your hands in the dirt, being quiet enough to watch the insects and smell the various fragrances (tomato plants are potent!). Will I save money growing some of my own food — hmm, I will have to have to let you know how successful I‘ve been come harvest time, but judging by some of the outlays and mishaps, probably not (Nick and I joke it will be £5 a carrot at this rate) BUT I’m thinking about all that lovely Prana, lack of air miles, lack of waste for summers to come. If I can crack the compost-making thing (and find a way to collect rain from my flat roof) then hopefully I’ll have a lovely circular little system going on even if my take-home is weeks of dinners consisting of slow growing cabbage and rocket — which thankfully grows like a weed!
