Garden 2013

      February in the Okanagan.

     For most of Canada, February kind of...well...sucks!  Not for the folks who live in this place of abundance and blessings.  Last week I started seeing people in shorts and skirts.  Lighter jackets have already become the norm.  My husband actually regrets buying a winter jacket this year as he had little need of it.  We are frequently hearing about the "sunshine tax" of Kelowna.  I just do not feel that way.  Perhaps if I had a medical licence and was stuck pumping gas then I would feel more resentment for the "sunshine tax", but for someone who lives simply and therefore can afford to work a job that gives them some pleasure, the sunshine is a bonus.  Before moving to Kelowna I had not been told of the employment problems here.  Apparently it is really hard to find a job here and most decent jobs are based on your connections.  Both Scott and I are lucky enough to be working and some weeks even manage a day or two off together.  This year I am going to try and prioritise our relationship more and some of that time will be spent in the garden.  Last year I maintained the garden and yard on my own.  My husband helped me mowing the grass a couple of times, but for the most part the yard and all of the garden where my domain.

     I remember once seeing a woman making a map of flower beds.  At the time I laughed.  I had never seen anyone do something like that.  Now I see the value of planning especially on paper your garden space.  I have a large front yard piece.  The soil is horrible and it is on a busy road.  The sun bakes down hard on it for most of the day and shades about twenty percent of it.  Last year I planted mainly flowers and potatoes in that space.  There is a lot of dust and dirtiness from the vehicle output.  I was put off by the idea of planting much of anything food wise there due to contamination from the street.  Last fall I put in a lot of perennials and some rocks to section off the garden space.  I found some round patio stones and placed them like a path to my front door.  This year I am planning on planting a lot more potatoes in the front, edible flowers, ivy on the ugly areas, and some herbs near my door.  I have collected many second hand terracotta pots last year.  I will place the herbs in the pots so that I cam move them around frequently so they get just enough sun, but not bake.

      My plans for the back include a lot of tomatoes.  I tried too many things last year, this year I think I will plan to depend on myself for a few things and then heavily shop the farmer's market for winter supplies.  I still have two bags of onions and many potatoes from last August.  The potatoes started to produce eyes, but still that is pretty good for over six months ago.  I have been looking into sand a lot lately.  You can use sand to store many vegetables.  My husband helped me to clean up a basement room so that we can make a cold room for next year.  I am so excited to see my little room and all things "put up" for next year.

     This year I really want to make the most of my space.  The best purls of wisdom I had last year was do the best with what I have.  This is not my dream yard, but it is a yard!  I share it with other people so I have to be respectful of their needs and decorating style as well.  However I have about 6 by 1 meters of raised bed garden beds.  Some side spaces for flowers and bushes, and this year I am going to really use my deck space.  I did not really know what to do with it last year so I mainly used it for herbs and a table and chair set.  I have several large pots for tomatoes, a rug, and more hopes than last year.

     Last year we did not have a lot of money for the garden, but this year I have more reserves and connections.  I have been buying a few packages of seeds here and there and am never to proud to grab a discarded pot or tomato cage.  I have also had a lot of success with people giving plants at the end of the season when the trim down their yard.  So over all, I have spent very little on my garden so far, but I have leaned a lot this winter by reading and following other gardeners.  This year I will have graduated from "Novice Gardener" to "Green Thumb In Training " and I cannot wait to share my treats with friends and photos with you dear readers.  

Backwards Is Forwards

      Reaching a certain age makes you realize that you only have a certain amount to time left on this earth.  This makes me seriously ask the question "am I where I want to be right now and if not should I try to achieve the dreams I made as a young adult, or create new directions for myself?"

     The desires of my youth were a lot like anyone else's.  Never struggle financially, travel anywhere I wish, about mariage, to stay youthful and slim, to have a life nothing like the adults around me.  Now into my thirties I am observing my life is nothing like what I imagined.  I know this is common and do not feel depressed that I did not achieve my youth inspired misguided mission.  I needed those ideal to get me where I went.  Now though that my youth is behind me, I realize that I am actually an adult now.  My mind is clearer, my heart is tied to someone, and my feet are a whole lot more on the ground.  I think that the funniest part about my original dream where that I still want to do them to some degree, only in ten years from now.  I see now that living my early and mid twenties the way I did gave me an urgent feeling of responsibility now.  I need to play catch up in a big way!  In a perfect world I would have been able to finish school and would have paid off my student loans by now.  I would have traveled on my holidays instead of living in another country.  I would have moved to city that I had a job offer instead of starting my life back in Canada in the most expensive and socially difficult place in the country.  But as my parents frequently told me "You never choose the easy way". haha  And it is still true today.  I have never chosen easy paths to follow, but that is why I am able to face more than the average person my age.

     The next stage of my life will not be quite as exciting as years prior, however at this stage that sounds like the biggest undertaking I have ever challenged myself with.