Cicero said, “if you have a garden at the library, you have everything you need.” Maybe it wasn’t Cicero. Maybe it was some other dead Roman. Maybe it was some other dead Roman who had a team of slaves to tend his garden. Either way, there was a recognition of a certain spiritual truth: the mind is fed through careful study, and the body is fed through digging in the dirt.
I did some digging in the dirt the other day. The druid order to which I belong, has a list of 17 plants which are the core of our herbal magical tradition. About 12 of them went in the ground the other day. It doesn’t look like much at all. It may be a couple of weeks before I see anything happen. I may not see anything happen that I like. There might be more weeds than valuable plants.
But we’ve lived here for more than a year. The garden is ours to do with as we please. And the single hardest thing to do with a garden, is start it. I have an advantage that someone has already dog several raised beds, and a kitchen garden space. The lawn is colonized by far more diverse plants and grass. I will have no trouble collecting dandelion, or magical or philosophical purposes. The basil and the lavender might take a while. So will the parsley and the dill.
I fully expect that the deer, the squirrels, rabbits And other critters will get most of my produce this year. I don’t really care; part of it is about seeing what I can grow. Already know that my summer travel schedule will interfere with my ability to eat from my garden. For now, it is enough to get started.
I was going to put in a good word for raised beds and containers.
Just remember to never step inside of a bed if you can avoid it, and do invest in a good compost bin and compost bin thermometer.