Patchy Promises

Luxurious, lavish, lush—adjectives I have always admired when describing gardens. I am not sure about having a green thumb, but my eyes most certainly turn green with envy whenever I see someone grow a beautiful garden out of dirt. Plant, water, grow; how hard can it be? Well, it’s easier said than done. Ask any of those who have unintentionally killed many plants in their attempts to cultivate the hobby.

Plants keep your spirit alive. And you keep their spirits alive. I have come to this realization when I found my favorite plant suffering due to my travels. I am trying to mend my equation with it. On the other hand, there are also a few other plants which seek no attention and just present loads of fruits and flowers. The pink jasmine in my garden is a sight and smell to behold for about a fortnight in late March and early April. Simply standing bare rest of the year, it attracts no comments or curious looks until it bursts out its glorious bunches. All the roses starting to bloom in April make the wait worth it. There are other forgotten seeds laying low in the ground until their turn. These peonies and gladioli spring to life as if they have an accurate seasonal clock. 

While I have always inclined toward flowers, growing vegetables has been a challenge. We managed to make a small bed in the backyard during the Covid years. Wasn’t that when people acted like baking bread, growing vegetables, trying out new recipes and mastering new hobbies was a piece of cake? Other than a few tomatoes, green chillies, pitiable-looking bell peppers, there wasn’t much to boast about at my end. That is until I found a robust plant. I had forgotten all about it. My gardener identified it and told me it was papas. Ok, another attempt to learn Spanish was being put to test here. Seeing me failing at it, he said “potatoes, potatoes.” Oh yes, I had planted those seeds ordered online. Who knew they worked? Just one plant yielded enough potatoes for wholesome potato curry to go with masala dosa.

It was unlike any other potato curry ever eaten. It felt so fulfilling that I vowed to grow more vegetables. Well, vows do not always translate to wows!

After seriously browsing the internet for tips and tricks, I now feel more under-confident than ever before. Look at all these people turning into farmers in a jiffy and growing vegetables to feed their entire families and friends. Not to be deterred, I have planted a few more seeds. What about compost? Yes, done that, and done with that. So, I circled the special date on the calendar provided by the city, which I had always ignored. Free compost distribution!

Determined to make it to the place, I even put a reminder on my phone. As I drove to the place, two entry area volunteers complimented my clean car. I smiled ear to ear and thanked them. And that’s when I was informed that the compost needed to be filled in your own bags and buckets. A clean car screamed sheer ignorance. Nowhere to back out from the long line of vehicles, I drove in the adjacent lane looking at all the pick-ups loading compost by the shovel full. Having learned the lesson, I am hopeful to go better prepared next year.

Meanwhile, my attempts at re-blooming orchids has not been successful yet, but I did manage to grow roots on a few basil twigs. The blueberry seeds stay snug in the pot. All those seeds promising to grow okras, eggplants, spinach, brussels sprouts, bell peppers have not yet delivered on their packet promises. Currently, two herbs are keeping my herbivorous hopes alive – mint and curry leaf plant.