We planted our first garden in November 2008 with broad beans, lettuce, fennel, onions. As soon as the spring came in 2009 I started adding to it. I planted peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini...expecting of course to grow some of the Meditteranean's finest harvest.
As our lettuce, beans, artichokes proved likewise, the rest are kind of in a standstill from flourishing. I am not sure why, although I seem to be growing weeds with no problem. I weed, I water, but the plants are still about the same size, maybe they have grown a little. To make my gardener's ego feel worse, Auntie Helen planted tomatoes, zucchinis, and eggplants in her large green house with the help of the vineyard worker, in a neat and professional manner, and the plants have grown so much in just two weeks!
Although I don't have such help at my disposal, I refuse to believe that my little fighters/survivors won't grow in the very soil that nutures and grows so many vines that produce the wine on this family vineyard. The weeding is endless, and just when I think I have pulled them all out, in a day or two, more creep out. I refuse to put any chemical...that is the whole point of this garden. Organically grown for our family.
It seems, that I can't even miss a day tending this struggling garden, otherwise all hell breaks looks.
One of the greatest joys is when Nicholas made our first Saquier Salad with our beans, artichokes, and lettuce. A real Nicoise specialty, and was absolutely divine. We were beside ourselves as we ate our wonderful salad outdoor in the late spring sun, convinced that no restaurant on the Cote d'Azur could provide a salad as fresh as this one. We relished this moment, and all of a sudden we wanted to plant everything possible.
But before I set out on this back breaking, daunting task, (since it is my back which has its own story to tell), I wanted to see what we alreay have in the garden grow.
Everytime I weed, I get into this meditative state and start thinking about life. I realize that this vicious weeds represent all of life's challenges, and if I miss or ignore just one, I know I can expect to see these weeds mulitply ten fold. If you don't pull the weed by it's roots, its like cheating, because the weed is still there and will continue to fester my innocent plants.
After a glass of wine, I relaxed, but the frustration of me being able to continue with the garden lingered, as well as my expectation of disappointment...dead plants.
However, I wouldn't make any drastic decisions, so I told Gira to water the garden while I took a nap hoping that when I wake up, I will have a different attitude. For now, its status quo...so I will go on.
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