Thursday 31 March 2016

The beginning of our Garden

Dear Family & Friends

Year 2011, our garden was a wilderness. We bought it as an unoccupied property for a couple of years. There were few fruit trees: Quince, apples, pear, plum and cherry...besides that, lots of overgrown self seeding weeds everywhere. To be honest with you, I have no clue on how to start gardening. But I know that I must do something rather than nothing.

This was our garden when we first arrived in this home

The sight was overwhelming...everywhere was messy and we don't have much help except for our own little family of four in a foreign land. Some days, I feel just like this little girl in the photo below! 

Desperate or Exhausted?

Yet, we never allow defeat before we even got the chance to give it a try. Out of the sky flew a white lost hen...no one owns it and it became ours. Our first hen stayed and roamed in our garden...I'm sure she was somehow responsible in keeping down the pesky bugs in our garden and contributed some valuable food manure to aid our dead soil. and...she was a fun character!

Our first chicken tractor...our only garden helper in our little jungle

The beginning was tough...the weeds were self seeding faster than we could stop them...the summer heat caused them to grow taller than my little girls. Little by little, the task was tackled...many nights ,the weary body was comforted with a goodnight rest and ready to start again the following morning.

This was the healthy tall weed variety we used to grow

The goal was not to have a jungle...I wanted a garden to grow good food for the family. Without giving up, our garden eventually became our food source...not just for people...but also for the ecology...at least the plot that we live in. We now have a beautiful natural garden and it is getting better each year.

Can't leave grass to grow as tall as me because we don't have giraffes to feed

I read somewhere that: 
  •  if you want to be happy for a short time...get drunk
  • if you want to be happy for a long time ...fall in love
  • if you want to be happy forever... take gardening
I'm not sure all of the above are true...but I can say that the last strategy point does bring therapeutic joy to living. 

Wishing you a successful strategy. Happy Gardening.

Yours

2 comments:

  1. With good planning , even a small space can become a garden.

    My side here , we don't have much space. Many stays in apartment but they have come up with loadz of idea how to have a garden in their apartment.

    I have a small garden of my own.

    Your "jungle" surely will need a lot of work but it will sure worth all the efforts put in ☺

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  2. Hello Annie, all your hard work will not go to waste. Very soon, you will reap what you have sowed into your land. With such a big piece of land, you can grow many fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. Sometimes, I too grow weary and discouraged but its the rewards that kept me going in my garden. Surely you will conquer the "jungle of weeds" and bring forth a very productive garden.

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