A Green Thumb After All?
Written by: Sabine Roggermeier; Gluecklich Im Sein
What am I planting this spring? Something I have been waiting for all winter long: my own little garden! I once had one tomato and one strawberry plant before and occasionally some herbs, but nothing like this!
Fun fact: I’m not a gardener. I mean I never found gardening to be fun. Ripping out weeds, mowing the lawn and such things always sounded boring to me. Also, I never had luck with caring for plants. Nevertheless, the desire to have a few of them and learn how to grow some of my own food was ever-swelling in my heart in recent years, much without my doing. So this year I got lucky and found a great deal on raised beds, I was given potting soil for my birthday and last week my mother and I went shopping for the plants. It took me a while to decide what to get for the beds and the few planter boxes I have. Space is limited and I wanted to be sure to get things I would enjoy and love to consume.
In the garden center, I am always fascinated by the wide variety of species in the herbs section and would love to get so many of them! Luckily I had my Mom by my side. Not only is she an amazing gardener who has not just one but a million green thumbs, she also has so much experience under her belt; she knows what works and what doesn’t and how much room it takes to grow all those beauties.
So here is what I got:
Basil, lavender, cilantro, lemonade plant, Mentha austriaca, Roman chamomile, four tomato plants including a chocolate one! Salads Aloe Vera.
I also wanted something blooming so I could cut off a few flowers instead of having to buy them in the store. But which? Just as I was hunting down the lavender I saw a woman with the most beautiful flowering plant I have seen in a long time with tiger-like stripes in every bloom and I said: “Wow, those are gorgeous!” “Yes”, she said, beaming. “That’s why I make sure to come here each year as they carry them only for a short while. I love them so much and they are so easy to take care of.” Wait, what? Gorgeous and yet easy to care for? Those were the right ones for me! My Mom came around the corner at that moment and the three of us chatted for quite a while after which each of us bought a lily of the Incas!
At home, my wonderful Mom taught me how to first water and then plant everything. Now I take care of them every day. I take off the covers I keep on overnight to protect everything from the cold and I water whenever needed. It’s interesting how responsible I feel for them and may I say how much I love them, much like my mother feels for her plants, which in my eyes is the key to her success. So maybe there is hope for my gardener me still?
With this garden, I am growing so much more than just the greens: a feeling of abundance, a deeper connection with nature and its healing powers, knowledge about gardening, my relationship with my mother by learning from her to name just a few! Now I can’t wait to harvest the first herbs, tomatoes and salad leaves! It will be a feast!
