A tree of lemons ... someday
When I first got the idea in my head to start a vegetable garden, it wasn't about the horticulture, it wasn't about honing a new skill, nor even about looking for a new hobby. Really, I just got this idea in my head that I could live more sustainably. Having started cooking with many more vegetables than I used to and having become more interested in conservation and sustainable living, I thought that starting a vegetable garden would be a positive step.
Even in the past, before I did anything resembling what most people would call "cooking," I have tried to grow herbs such as parsley and basil in my kitchen. For the rare occasion when I did try to make something fancier than a peanut butter sandwich, it always seemed that I was making a trip to the store to spend $4 on a tiny packet of herbs. So sometimes I brought home a plant of herbs instead. I tried several times to keep herbs alive in my kitchen, and failed each time. On the last occasion I ended up moving a pot of flat-leaf parsley out into the yard to soak up some of the summer weather, and the pot ended up blowing over and crumbling into some ground cover, where I think a sprig of parsley lived peacefully for a few weeks. But that was the end of its indoor use.
So when I decided what seeds to buy for the garden, it was based upon what I knew I'd consume. The stuff that it seemed silly to go buy all the time if I could grow my own. And one of those things that it always seems I need are lemons. It turns out that lemons don't grow within 4-6 weeks of plopping a seed into the ground; you have to grow a tree.
So my most expensive purchase thus far in my quest for cheaper, more sustainable living, is my new lemon tree. It doesn't look much like a tree. It looks more like a stalk. With no lemons. And, who knew that lemon trees were full of thorns?
But I'm trying to take good care of it, providing it with sun and humidity. When the weather is appropriate I'll find a place for it on my back patio (where it won't blow over) and perhaps in a year or so it will reward me with lemons. Oh please, life, give me lemons.
Even in the past, before I did anything resembling what most people would call "cooking," I have tried to grow herbs such as parsley and basil in my kitchen. For the rare occasion when I did try to make something fancier than a peanut butter sandwich, it always seemed that I was making a trip to the store to spend $4 on a tiny packet of herbs. So sometimes I brought home a plant of herbs instead. I tried several times to keep herbs alive in my kitchen, and failed each time. On the last occasion I ended up moving a pot of flat-leaf parsley out into the yard to soak up some of the summer weather, and the pot ended up blowing over and crumbling into some ground cover, where I think a sprig of parsley lived peacefully for a few weeks. But that was the end of its indoor use.
So when I decided what seeds to buy for the garden, it was based upon what I knew I'd consume. The stuff that it seemed silly to go buy all the time if I could grow my own. And one of those things that it always seems I need are lemons. It turns out that lemons don't grow within 4-6 weeks of plopping a seed into the ground; you have to grow a tree.
So my most expensive purchase thus far in my quest for cheaper, more sustainable living, is my new lemon tree. It doesn't look much like a tree. It looks more like a stalk. With no lemons. And, who knew that lemon trees were full of thorns?
But I'm trying to take good care of it, providing it with sun and humidity. When the weather is appropriate I'll find a place for it on my back patio (where it won't blow over) and perhaps in a year or so it will reward me with lemons. Oh please, life, give me lemons.
Labels: vegetable garden
posted by Jen S. at
1:31 PM
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