Over the past couple of months, I’ve deliberately been blind to the mess of pots full of used compost and the scraggy plants demanding a trim as I’ve darted to the end of the garden to put the bins out before scurrying back to the warmth of the house. But things have still been growing sitting there waiting patiently, and now the days are getting longer again and I feel like I need to show everything in the garden some tender loving care, and probably some chickenshit pellets.
Some salad leaves that I had left over the winter were still alive, and when I picked them just now they tasted fantastic, intense and peppery. I appreciate them all the more for knowing that they have survived through several frosts. They’re tougher than me, but I get to eat them. Richard Mabey says “one of the most complex and intimate relationships which most of us can have with the natural environment is to eat it”.
I have a lot of used compost and I’m reluctant to get rid of all of it, so I’m going to try re-using some as a base layer in larger containers. Everything is going to be in containers this year – we’re looking for a new place to live, so the garden has to be portable.