This is a cutting back year
for us up here on the hill. The
universe may be expanding,
but down here on planet
earth there is an insistent
inner voice that says, like it
or not old man, the time has
come to stop creating more
work for yourself no matter
how much you enjoy the
fruits of your self-inflicted
labors. One of winter’s perennial
tricks is casting a veil of
forgetfulness over the previous
year’s labors. In the past,
I would look out my study
window about this time of
year and imagine all kinds of
new projects.
That is not the case this
year. Instead of, for instance,
envisioning new perennial
beds rippling their way colorfully
down the hillside, I think
a meadow, left completely
to its own devices, would do
just fine.
I have never doubted the
truth of the cliche that less is
more. The difference is that
now I am willing as hell to
buy into it _ hook, line, and
sinker. Last year we operated a
very modest CSA, which went
pretty well, but at the end of
the summer we realized that
as much as we enjoyed growing
veggies for others, we
could easily live without the
worry of making sure that we
not only had enough of everything,
but that it all stayed
fresh by pickup time. Plus, we
really yearned for full-time
summer flexibility, a luxury we
had not enjoyed since starting
our daylily business ten years
earlier.
The first thing we did last
autumn was return one of
our largest vegetable gardens
to its former wild state. This
spring we hope to move quite
a few things closer to the
house. It will mean reshaping
things a bit, which will
undoubtedly require a lot of
transplanting and digging.
But the long-term gain will be
worth the effort.
We ordered far fewer
vegetable seeds this year, an
existentially difficult task for
me. We still plan on growing
quite a few vegetables, but
the focus will be on healthy
summer eating and putting as
much food by for winter consumption
as possible. Many of
the exotics, varieties I cynically
refer to as designer veggies
ending in vowels, are out.
Over the past several summers
we have planted quite
a few fruit trees and berry
bushes, all of which should
start bearing within the next
few years. Root crops are
great because once planted
they pretty much take care
of themselves and are never
in a hurry to be uprooted
from their cozy subterranean
homes. I have a particular
affinity for vegetables that do
their work underground and
are content to stay put until
needed. As soon as the snow
clears I hope to pull a few carrots
out of my below ground
cold frame for a late winter
snack. That is, if I can find it!
I can go on and on about
the reasons for cutting back,
but the real reason is that
when one gets on in years
backs, arms, legs, and psyches
start to complain a lot more
about the demands made on
them.
For instance, as much as I
enjoy and appreciate winter,
I have made it very clear that
snow removal is just not as
much fun as it used to be.
Birding in Costa Rica next February
is an attractive option.
Fact is, I enjoy gardening and
farming just as much as I ever
did, but the time has come
to appreciate it more and
wrangle with it less. Besides,
that will leave more time for
foraging in the woods on the
lookout for interesting flora
and fauna, especially ferns,
wildflowers, and birds. The
time is ripe to start coming
down the mountain _ slowly.
Hawthorn Hill
Hawthorn Hill: Cutting back
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