Along with all the normal tasks and special training that I’ve been doing lately, I’ve been busy trying to nudge the garden beds towards better food production.
Many of my beds are “weedy” in that they produce native and naturalized wild plants. There is nothing better than dandelion greens on a taco, and oxalis is one of my child’s favorites. I love my blue lettuce and smart weed. Even the more traditional herbs in in those beds grow like weeds.
The key here is that the plants I don’t want have to be removed. I have to pull out the little tree seedlings and grasses. The more herbaceous plants must be pinched off or cut before they go to seed. I must also be certain to prune plants that need it for increased production like sage and lamium.
I must also consider the type of space occupied by the different kinds of plants. Will the oregano choke out the chives? Will the wild cucumber shade out the potatoes here? Will the cleavers smother the chick weed? Prune, plant, and transplant accordingly.
This is an art based on personal observation across time. I like the idea that most people in this area walk by it and do not even recognize it as a garden. This is something that could be done in an austere environment to produce food in a “hidden” way. It is a lot to teach young children though.
Not only do I have to consider ways to ease my children into a greater horticultural literacy, but I also want to be able to demonstrate food production to my friends, family, and neighbours in a way that they can see and understand. I wondered for years why my wife would not cook with the veggies growing right outside the door. When I finally realised she did not understand the patterns and design of these beds, not to mention her fear of misidentification, I knew I would have to put in some more formal beds.
I started work on these more formal beds in earnest over the winter. My oldest child and I planted one of them recently. Even the idea of evenly dropping the seeds into a shallow furrow was a more difficult lesson than I had imagined it would have been. We did it though. My children will eventually know how to grow their own veggies. So will my neighbors.
This is not the kind of gardening I prefer. None of the seeds in that bed are even perennials. It will also be a learning curve for me, but I think it will pay off by having the whole family involved. My wife may even agree to stop spending money for all those nutrient deficient organic veggies at the store if I can pull this off well enough.
It is more work for me at a busy time of the year. I know you may be very busy too! I hope this will encourage you to consider the long term benefits of your actions and edify you to continue your work with some excitement for the future!
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