I listened And They Told Me.

The past 4 years has been a real learning curve for me in terms of my gardening habits.  I initially planted lots of pretty specimens in my garden when we moved to Troll manor 6 years ago, tried in vain to tame the grass and get Alan Titschmarsh stripes.  I wanted this:

I wanted so badly to try and bring the countryside to the mangie place in which I live.  I couldn't have it so I changed tack.  Little by little my lawn of moss and weeds came up, little by little I listened more to the plants than to my heart.  They told me what they wanted, and I stopped telling them what I wanted, now we are friends, companions and we work together.  Finally I have my very little slice of countryside here in the scummy surroundings I call home.

Another lesson I have learned is that I only need a little bit of things.  Some people can go to a seed catalogue and order lots and lots of packets of seeds in the full knowledge that they will have the space to grow them in.  I however can make a packet of seeds last for several years in some cases and will never be able to grow all of its contents.  My solution to this is that I give away what I don't need to friends, to my daughters school and to my sons nursery and they are happy to take them as these too are an increasingly expensive commodity.

So today I surveyed my little garden and I listened to what it told me.  It told me not to grow a gazillion huge tomato plants, it told me not to grow things like onions and potatoes which take lots of time space and effort for a crop which can be brought relatively cheaply and it told me not to grow green courgettes because while they may be a doddle to grow, nobody likes them!

My garden has told me to grow herbs, my garden has told me to grow dwarf varieties of tomatoes which can be planted in hanging baskets and containers and my belly has told me to only grow yellow courgettes because we like those ones.
Today I listened to my garden and it was good.