The God Complex

Weird thing, patience. As a bonsai grower you need patience in droves. It defines you as an artist, in that you are able to sit on your hands and allow your subject to do its thing. You cannot rush Bonsai, you can only nudge them in a favourable direction and hope they comply! Often they don't, but sometimes they do; and that's the fun. Little by little, year by year....

                      

All good things come to those who wait! Mostly....

And so it is with frustration that I find myself having rushed into things a little veg wise. I have a window-ledge with umpteen varieties of seedlings growing, a significant chunk of which should have been left for sowing at least a month later.

I have 3 courgettes; the damned things grow like triffids and have already been re-potted since sowing less than 3 weeks ago, which are fast outgrowing their new pots.

And yet as I have no greenhouse, polytunnel, or in fact any kind of cold frame or outdoor space at home to transfer them into, these are probably resigned to an early demise, with stronger siblings being raised at the correct time when I sow them late April.

I have tomato and marigold aplenty which again will not make it unless I somehow miraculously get them to last indoors for 6 weeks 'til end of frosts. So again I have planted too early.

What is most frustrating is that the seed packets themselves gave me this information. Like a fool I trusted them and now (and this may seem stupid) I feel almost guilty. I feel guilty that I've raised these lovely seedlings and they are all healthy and brimming with life, itching to produce some lovely fruit... and in all probability they will end up on the compost pile. What is that all about?

This is not an unusual phenomenon by all accounts; I expressed this feeling with a friend - this guilt about throwing away the smaller seedlings when thinning (and potentially whole plants going to waste due to my inexperience and  overzealous sowing) and I'm not alone - my feelings were more than mirrored.

And then there's my girlfriend. The slightest hint that I may be binning some of the less developed little plants is met with shock and horror and pointing of sharp implements. But where does this come from, I mean; aren't we growing these for eating anyway?

My theory is that it's linked to the excitement and wonder that you feel when that first seeding pops its head out from under the soil... that amazement that you personally had a hand in creating something living, at a time you decided, and it is complying - it's actually growing because of you alone.

A God Complex, if you will. 

And yet what makes us utterly human in this moment is the horrifying thought that this life that we have created is wasted and was in vain.... and that we are about to let down this tiny being and cast it aside........

And the beautiful irony of this entire complex of feelings, is that this entire endeavour is solely to produce vegetables which I'm going to eat, probably harming, if not killing the plants at the end of the season.


Maybe we are all just crazy...

***

So anyway, there's been a hive of industry at the plot and time is ticking on. Slowly but surely things are beginning to come together...

Shallot sets were put to bed!

I've had authorisation to build a 10ft x 20ft Polytunnel - incredibly exciting news which resulted in my immediate sectioning off of the central part of my plot, and covering with a light suffocating material; this is approx. 7m x 4m

I dismantled, moved and rebuilt a runner bean frame which my good friend Dave had built...on top of my existing Garlic bed!!

I transplanted some lovely strawberry into my 4' beds

Following excellent advice from one of the admins on the No-Dig facebook group, I made foil reflecting backs for my window seedlings to stop them being too leggy - with excellent results!

...and I now have a set of seedlings which will go out into the big wide world in the next two weeks!

Finally - I have been delighted with the No-Dig beds complete lack of weeds. The odd weed which has pushed through the cardboard has poked its head up but on the whole there's barely any weeding to do at all - meaning I have more time to attack the couch grass borders!


Everything is picking up pace now, and my increase in learning feels exponential right now.


This is what life is all about!