Monday 20 February 2012

Moving Lessons-Step One: Decluttering

I intend to be living at Blue Moon Farm permanently by September of this year.

I’m not planting anything in my city garden this year and if the perennials suddenly do something out of character I’m afraid they are on their own. With moving and working I have little time for reading, so a few weeks ago I packed up all my gardening books.

Boxed with everything else was “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” by Edward. C. Smith.  Mr. Smith is my teacher, therapist and constant companion. I would be lost without him. I am lost without him. His absence from the table by the window is a constant reminder that my world is tilting. I need his steadying presence. Lesson learned, during the chaos of  moving  keep the things that ground you close at hand.                                                            

I have written on a card Mr. Smith’s mantra, “Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, Deep Soil” and placed it on the fridge. It is going to have to do.   

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for this recommendation, I have a little garden patch in my back yard where we like to grow our summer vegetables, I'm going to have a look at this book. Thanks.

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    1. Using Mr Smith's methods do increase yields which is good if you have limited space. I just wish we had a longer growing season in Calgary.

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  2. Where is Blue Moon Farm? As Calgarians, we 'retired' to the southern interior of BC for five years, near Nelson. We're back in Calgary now, but I sure enjoyed the space of gardening on an acreage! I started a lot of perennials by seed, and our flower beds were gorgeous. So many wonderful things you can grow out there...

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  3. The location of BMF (and observatory) is going to be a secret for a while longer. My plans fell through about 3yrs ago and I want nothing to jinx it this time. I will say it is on the coast and takes two ferries to get there. Zone 7/8 and salt air are going to mean learning new ways to garden. I am dreaming of roses in abundance.

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