I've spent the last few weeks buying and planting vegetables. There is something about planting that fills my soul. ![]() Gardening was something my Dad and I did together. It seems strange not to have him around this year to give me advice. I miss talking to him about what he wanted to plant in his garden and sharing what I wanted to put in my own. The apartment where he lived installed raised beds so the tenants could have their own little gardens. Dad could take his electric scooter out to the garden and drive right up next to the bed where he could weed and plant while still sitting on his scooter. ![]() I learned everything I know about gardening from my Dad. He taught me to rotate the location and variety of plants to discourage those annoying garden bugs and diseases. He gave me his "Square Foot Garden" book and I learned how to pack a lot of garden in a small space. He showed me how to "amend" the soil with steer manure, which not only feeds the plants, it also gives your garden that nice earthy "farm" smell when you dig it in. He was very good about prepping thoroughly before planting. He used to say "You don't put a $10 plant in a $5 hole." I miss him and I miss doing this together. My housemate is totally clueless about plants and gardening, but he has willingly taken over most of the yard work. He does such a good job that I don't have to do the hard stuff. He preps everything and I just stand around and point out where I want things planted. I used to spend a lot of time down on my knees rooting out weeds but it was getting harder and harder to get back up once I got down. Now he does all of that. Once he learned the difference between a plant and a weed there were no weeds that could escape his eagle eye. He can spot Oxalis a mile away. My yard looks like something out of Sunset magazine. I think he really likes doing gardening more than he thought he would. He prepped the veggie beds already and now I'm planting them. I'm glad I don't have to haul heavy bags of manure by myself, but I feel a little guilty that I had my housemate do the hard part and I get to do the fun part of planting. ![]() I love planting. I like figuring out exactly where to put the new little plants. This year I'm planting mostly starts instead of seeds. They look so little and fragile at first, and then every day you go out and they are a bit bigger and stronger. It's like a speeded up version of watching kids grow. I've never had kids so these plants are kind of my babies. Of course eventually I'll eat them which is something you don't do with kids unless you're the wicked witch of the west. I like digging the holes and mixing in a little root food and then carefully popping the new plants out of their containers and sliding them into the hole trying not to disturb their tiny roots. I like filling in the dirt around the plant and patting the soil around them so they are secure in their new homes. I like the feel of the dirt in my fingers even when it gets stuck in my nails. I like being out in the sun and working up a mini sweat. It makes me feel like I am doing something good and it makes me feel close to my Dad.
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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