A oasis of edible food and herbal medicine surround me. I find refuge under the branches of fig and oak while visiting the city. Constant noise and conversation can easily overwhelm me and I find myself hiding out in the backyard, potting around, planting seeds and tending to the garden we have crafted over the years.
When I am here, in my home city and visiting my family, I consider it my job to do my part to keep the abundance going by planting the vegetables of the season. It being fall with cooler weather to come, a leafy greens garden is in the works.
There are many pots of all shapes and sizes across the patio. As the garden beds are mostly occupied with flowers and herbs, filling up these decorative pots was my goal and subject of this post.
A outing with my mom to the plant nursery resulted in the purchase of several trays of lettuce greens. I was surprised by the quality and variety available and pleased that the garden would soon be full of color and salad ingredients.
After first adding some soil amendments and watering the mixture until thoroughly moist, I transplanted the lettuce, keeping the largest and most colorful head in the center. Surrounding the plants I firmly placed rocks to keep the local squirrel population from digging up my edible artwork.
No garden would be complete without the addition of some flowers. Our front yard garden is our opportunity to brighten up other people's days during the dreary months of winter to come. Calendula, nasturtium, and lavender adorn the edge between the sidewalk and our eclectic front yard garden.
In the quite refuge of the backyard I have all the potted plants in a safe place, protected from too much sun and squirrel attack. I waited for a rainy, cloudy day to make their transition to their permanent home.
The rain began in the early hours and then proceeded to drizzle all day. Having missed the rains so much, I ran out without a jacket and began to dig and set them in their rightful spots. Bees, butterflies, and human eyes will be treated by their nectar and beauty. And in the case of calendula flowers, their flowers will provide us medicine too.
