As you sow, so shall you reap
Published: Thu, 05/30/13
One of the benefits of living where we do is that we have a good
sized garden with a vegetable patch, well established fruit bushes
and trees (raspberries, gooseberries and apples) and a greenhouse.
It has been quite a few years since I have had access to a garden
suitable for growing vegetables and so this spring I have been
making the most of it. Lots of small plants are gradually getting
themselves established and in a few weeks we will be eating from
our own garden. There is nothing quite like organic veg picked
just outside your kitchen door.
Vegetable gardening provides some valuable lessons for anyone
trying to create something like a business or an organisation such
as a Stav club.
Firstly you realise from cultivating a vegetable garden that your
personal effort and commitment is essential. If you don't
plant anything or cultivate the soil you won't get nothing but
what you do get is likely to be from plants that someone else
planted before, such as our raspberry canes, but the rest is likely
to be weeds and not much else. If you want good results you have
to put the effort in preparing the ground, planting and nurturing.
Secondly you need to be patient. There is always that period
between planting seeds and seeing them come up when you find
yourself convinced nothing is going to happen. There is even the
temptation to dig up the seeds and see what is going on, the worst
thing you can do. Much better to distract yourself by planting or
nurturing something else and let the seeds get on with germinating
in peace. Then all of a sudden you are eating your own produce.
Thirdly you can't predict results so you need plenty of
options. Conditions vary from year to year, rainfall, temperature,
pests and many other factors. So you need a variety of crops and
some will be very disappointing and some will produce a glut.
Courgettes are commonly and example of this, some years nothing
much happens and other years you find yourself giving away bucket
loads of them. I planted out 12 courgette seedlings yesterday so I
am hopeful.
We had six people training at the class in Crewkerne last night.
It has been four months since we started the current class in
Crewkerne. Yesterday we were training with the trel, karl and
herse staff exercises and knife defence with the same three
principles. It has taken time but it looks like good progress to
me. If you are within reach of Crewkerne and would like to join us
on a Wednesday evening then we meet at 7-30pm, email for more
details.
All meals are included at the Summer camp, I intend to have my home
grown vegetables on the menu as well as from local sources in
Norfolk. Five places left so book at http://www.stavcamp.org