I grew up as an involuntary gardener...helping out at home. But I knew the seasons of fruits and vegetables, the time to plant them, the frequency of watering, the time to harvest them and ways to preserve them for the winter.
Pepper in April was an unthinkable concept to me. Never tried any fruit (except for bananas and oranges) that would not grow on "the family farm". I remember the time I was wondering about how people each kiwis. Or the first time I tasted a fresh mango. Oh, and when I had to cut the pineapple open...I was so confused!
Anyways, here I come, living far away from home, having my own home. With no garden. Only a small 30cm times 2m little area in front of the building that my neighbor was not so keen to take care of.
So I decided to put my gardening skills to work here. Last year all the neighborhood dogs were convinced that all I was trying to do was to decorate their restroom with flowers. I thought otherwise and wanted revenge ... how can some pet owners be so irresponsible and let their dogs poop between two bushes of tiny fragile roses?
This year the dogs don´t care any more. But despite being spring, there is no rain and the plants look rather sad. I am planting a couple of small flowers every two weeks or so. It is slowly growing, blooming. But it still looks bare...
So if you come by and plant a small rose, I won´t mind. If not, I´ll keep adding to it. And picking up the cigarette butts and plastic wrapping papers.
Beekeeping on the roofs on New York sounds amazing. But I cannot imagine how difficult it is if I struggle so much with a tiny patch of sandy soil in Amsterdam!
