“A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul.” ~ Saadi
As with everyone, when the pandemic hit, I suddenly found myself at home all the time. So, my husband and I decided it was time to do something about our shaggy looking backyard. We had let it go, doing the bare minimum for several years and it showed. We spend a lot of time outside when the weather is nice, so it only made sense to clean up the yard and make it our own oasis.
We pulled weeds and transplanted plants. Instead of edging, we put in landscaping rocks. What a job that was! A friend was moving and told us to take what whatever landscaping items we wanted. She had rocks. Lots of rocks. We had to dig the rocks out from their current home, get them in our cars, and unload them at our house. We made several trips with both cars. She later told us that we had moved four tons of rocks, one carload at a time. We had to reshape the edges of the landscaping and dig out grass and weeds then place the rocks. That was a process – like a jigsaw puzzle – setting down a rock that fit well next to its neighbor and making sure not to have too many rocks of the same color next to each other.
We rented a sod cutter to clear out a space where I planned to put containers for vegetables. That, of course, entailed stripping up the sod and then figuring out what to do with it. Luckily, our neighbors needed sod and were happy to take it.
It took us around six weeks of mostly weekend work to complete the initial revamping of the yard. Then another several weekends to “pretty it up” with solar lights, birdbaths, repurposed Christmas lights to give the fence some color, and various other yard décor. And then we rested, and spent the remainder of the summer and fall enjoying our reclaimed yard.
It was a summer of cleaning, clearing, weeding, and heavy lifting which laid the groundwork for phase two of taking back the space.
Last year, year 2 of the pandemic, found us still not going many places. Staying home seemed the most prudent course and so we decided to continue with yard improvements. The space that we cleared for container gardening just wasn’t cutting it for me. I wanted more space to grow vegetables. So, off to get the sod cutter again! We cleared space and built two raised beds. I also found standing (waist high) raised beds and added several to the landscape.
And then I went a bit crazy! I planted tomatoes (so many tomatoes!), peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, peas, jalapeños, beets, carrots, and potatoes. On a whim I put in one eggplant. I planted culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. I spent the summer taking care of my plants. Watering, fertilizing, weeding, nurturing, and trying to keep the dog out of the beds. In return my precious plants rewarded me with an abundant harvest. My one eggplant yielded over fifteen mature fruits and my jalapenos produced for three cycles and were on their fourth when I had to clear the beds for the winter. I had so many tomatoes I kept our neighbors supplied, as well as other friends, and I canned batch after batch of chopped tomatoes and tomato juice. Then there was the zucchini – well, we all know the zucchini story. Luckily, many friends were happy to take some off my hands so I didn’t have to resort to leaving them on porches anonymously in the middle of the night which could have been awkward considering the proliferation of Ring doorbells and security cameras.
This year, while we are going out a bit more, we still spend a lot of time at home and most of that time is in our backyard. In late spring we again began the process of clearing, cleaning, and weeding. One day, as I was on my hands and knees pulling weeds, it suddenly hit me that the work I’d been doing in our yard these past few years mirrored the energy work I’ve been doing in my own psyche. Digging out the weed roots was just like digging out the old stuck pictures and patterns, the knee jerk reactions, the old choices. In the yard, I was pulling out the old roots, the old weeds, and filling in with new plants to nurture. In my own space, I was pulling out and clearing the old pictures and patterns, the old games, and filling in with new growth.
When I was trying to dig out some particularly onerous weeds (I’m looking at you dandelion, even if are beneficial!), I couldn’t always get the entire root because the roots were thick and deep, so of course weeds came back, and I had to clear some more. Just like digging through the sticky, deep things buried in my own space. Just like weeds, you’re not always going to be able to let go of and clear old patterns all at once, and that’s OK. Clear what is ready to go and then come back later to clear more. It’s not a race, but maybe more of a dance. That is important for me to remember, as I often (ok, most of the time) get impatient with myself for not letting go of things faster and not growing faster.
Planting the vegetables and herbs, fertilizing them, nurturing and loving them was another reminder that the energy work is the same. As old patterns and pictures are cleared, the new growth needs to be fed, loved, and nourished. A wise friend asked me recently, when I was very impatient with myself and berating myself for not being further along in my spiritual growth, “Think about it this way. When you put a tomato plant in the ground, do you just slap some dirt around it, toss some water at it, and expect it to grow? If it doesn’t grow fast enough, do you yell at it and call it names?” She went on to say, “I know you don’t, I’ve seen your garden. You feed those plants. You coddle them and protect them. You take care of them. You love them. You deserve the same treatment from yourself.” Yes, indeed.
As I was weeding and clearing my yard, I was weeding and clearing my own space. As I am loving, nourishing and feeding the plants, I am loving, nourishing and feeding my own psyche. My own soul. I am allowing myself the space, the time, and grace, to grow.