Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Start of Something Wonderful


I have a three foot long by one foot deep "garden" in which I can plan whatever I like. A good part of the land is taken up by Roderick, my lion (thanks for the name Keith! I can't think of him as anything else) and the other part I am starting to experiment with. The lilac bushes that the association pulled out are starting to come back and I'm leaving them. The lilacs were some of the main reasons I moved here. I planted a nice looking hosta that requires almost no care from me. But the last planting is the one I'm the most excited about (Jeff would say obsessed about). Strawberries!!!


I planted a half dozen strawberry plants last year in April. They were still too new to bear fruit last year so I "patiently" waited through the year for this spring. Three of them survived the winter, although two others are trying. Suddenly I'm starting to see a mixture of the little white flowers that strawberries grow, and another kind of stalk. The berries are still green and very small but they are the start of something wonderful. In May I will have fresh organically grown strawberries. I'll be able to harvest my own food, which has been a dream of mine for years now.


I'm already thinking about planting more strawberries and trying to do some potted raspberries. My father learned how to Bonzai an orange tree, with the possibility of full size oranges. I tried planting spinach last year that failed miserably. But these little plants, so green and beautiful, make me want to plant more food. To actually produce a crop of something. Until then I'm going to gorge myself on homegrown strawberries. Well at least once they become ripe.


4 comments:

Bleufleur said...

How exciting! I hope they turn out beautifully, they sure look off to a good start.

Cat B said...

Thanks Bleufleur! I was inspired by your garden and knew I had to post about my tiny little one. Yours is so much better though. Plus (judging by your recent post) it sounds like you get much more interesting creatures in yours.

Keith said...

Well, you *did* ask for help naming him.

You might want to net those strawberries if you want to eat any of them. Otherwise the birds and chipmunks will have them instead.

Cat B said...

And you were wonderful and provided a name. At first I wasn't sure of Roderick but now I can't think of him as anything else. It's perfect!

I thought about netting them but wasn't sure. I'd heard stories of birds dying in nets. But considering I feed the birds right near them, I'll consider it.