Pruning and Weeding

I've never really been interested in gardening. I like the idea of growing food and I love a vase full of fresh flowers, but gardening has never been my thing. It is, however, Dave's thing. He carries our garden vision, and he has the knowledge and experience to actually make it happen. He says he'll need my help, though. 

We've been making lists for months - long lists - of the work that needs to be done in order to prepare the garden. Order seeds. Prune the raspberry and blueberry bushes and the apple trees. Start seedlings. Trim the lilac bushes down to get our bedroom view of the marsh back. Turn over the soil. Dig in the mulch, leaves, and compost. Weed. Build trellises. Clean up the green house. Expand and close in the outdoor chicken coop. Transfer and plant seeds. 

Over the winter, as Dave talked about the garden and the list grew, I wondered what my role in all of this would be. I discovered last fall that I love pruning trees. I mean, I really love it. In the same way that I get great satisfaction out of clearing clutter out of the house, I love clearing the tangle of excess branches and twigs off trees. So I volunteered to take on the raspberry and blueberry bushes, thinking that would be right up my alley. And it was. Well, I think it was - I guess we'll know for sure when we see how many berries we get.

Then, I took on the lilac bushes and the apple trees. I went into full-on pruning mode, climbing up high - one foot on the ladder, one foot balanced on a branch - perhaps going a bit overboard, until Dave gently suggested that maybe pruning is no longer the number one priority… and could I maybe get my "clearing" high from weeding, starting with the greenhouse? His seedlings are coming along and are just about ready to be transferred.

So yesterday I tackled the greenhouse. With Alexandra and Clara's "help", we cleared out the overgrowth of pansies, clovers, and dandelions. We pulled up the web of stubborn roots, turned over the soil, and raked it all smooth.

Turns out I love weeding as much as I love pruning, and I have found my role in this whole gardening thing. I am the clearer-outer. Maybe with time I'll grow to love the planting and growing part of gardening, but for now, I'm quite content keeping the space clear, tidy and clutter free.