Thursday, 11 July 2013

Is it all worth it ?

So, we dig the plot, we fertilise the plot, we grow the seed, we tend the seed, we pot on the seedlings, we plant the seedlings, we hoe, we water, we weed  ... then one day we get to eat it all. And it is all worth while ! That is the myth !

One year, I did all the above and got about ten tomatoes all season. That definitely wasn't worth it. I could have saved myself all the work and the expense , by nipping down to the shop and buying a punnet full.

Last year, the potatoes got blight and we didn't get one, not one . Definitely not worth it.

But even in those dreadful years of constant rain, or no rain, or whatever, something drives us on, and that thing is optimism.

Today I went down the garden with a bowl, and stood in the sun, pulling warm, ripe raspberries and it was all worth it.



Today, when I tasted these, I knew it is all worth it :


Next year, the birds might sneak them all, but this year, the canes are loaded with big, fat fruits !


The strawberries are also ready, and the blackcurrants are not far behind.

Barring droughts, blight and other acts of nature, the odds are looking good on getting more than ten tomatoes this year.




8 comments:

  1. Lovely photos, I need to plant more raspberries, thank you !

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    1. Raspberries are so easy - plant ... leave ... eat ...prune !!

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  2. I think we do it for other reasons... and getting to eat the fruit of our labors is a kind of door prize or a booby prize, or the au jus that goes over the roast beef.

    Loved your images, your subject and your writing!

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    1. Thankyou for your kind comments, and I feel the same about your blog too !!

      I think you are right, sometimes we sort of 'forget' to eat the stuff we have spent ages growing , and it makes me wonder why we took so much time and care, if eating was not the ultimate goal. I think it is something to do with having a strong nurturing instinct, as I get tremendous satisfaction from caring for the plants.

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  3. Oh yes, it's worth it! Even more so with an excellent harvest like yours, but also during the less productive years. Gardening is good therapy for the mind, body, and spirit! ;-)

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    1. I agree with you ... most of the time ! The thought of the garden gets me out of bed in the morning and into the great outdoors in the sun, rain , cold and snow ! Fantastic holistic therapy ... and it's free !

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  4. We just used the last of the spaghetti sauce I put up last year, so the tomatoes are arriving right on schedule. Dinner in a jar is hard to beat.

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    1. Ooh are yours ready already ? Will you do a post on how to make it please , if you have time ? I would love to know how to do it . I love the thought of opening a jar full of all that summer sunshine in the middle of winter !

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