Last plant planted....I think

I finally sat down after finishing my impromptu lasagna garden. I had been talking with my neighbour about using the little strip of land beside the lane way, and they agreed that I could use it for tomatoes. So I gathered up my composting leaves from last fall, some straw, a few cardboard boxes, some horse manure, and finally, some topsoil. When the mess was compiled, I planted 5 tomato plants, type unknown due to a largely foreseeable tumble-down of the seedlings in the greenhouse a few weeks ago. They might be yellow pear cherry toms, moon glows, pink ping pongs cherries, or yellow Roma's, who knows, we'll have to wait and see.

Cutting the front lawn with a 45 year old fire engine red reel mower is no fun. Not that I expected it to be, but it is great exercise, and I get funny looks from our neighbours and people driving by. Our neighbour's little girl, about age 9, walked by and asked me why I don't get a 'real' lawnmower, one that uses gas. Well, I decided that I wasn't going to argue with a 9 year old, so I said "I like doing it the old fashioned way, and I like the exercise," which caused her to pause, and said we could borrow her dad's. Funny hah-hah, not funny strange, that the conversation about the neighbours who use a push mower must have occurred around her dinner table, and she being naive, shared with us her disapproval, which must have been generated by the adult conversation.

This brings me to think about how the school system has missed the boat. Both, about teaching young people about diversity - that is choosing an alternative way to do something apart from the dominant trends, and, actually reading about ways the City of London supposedly encourages greener lawn care. Not that I'm naive about the system neglecting to reinforce greener and healthier ways of living, but, she being 9 years old, is the next generation who will come of age in a time of Peak Oil. Spending one's limited income on fuel to cut a large area of plants that will in about a week, grow back. Lawns are a money pit, a relic of the age of plenty and conspicuous consumption.

Therefore, every year, I will gradually reduce the amount of space dedicated to lawn, and replace it with raised beds for herbs, flowers, and other beautiful plants. Today, I gleaned from my other neighbour, 2 12' long boards, that I will use to create a raised bed, along with some bricks of various sizes. I think some red Swiss chard, some parsley, and some marigolds will look lovely. Details and results to follow.