This is true for so many things in life and in biology. My vegetable garden has been an ongoing project for a number of years. Previously it was a completely random gamble of sticking stuff in and then waiting to see what would happen. Some plants were successful but the majority did not produce much.
A series of random events earlier this year made me re-evaluate this approach:
1. We had a rainy spell, a few days of good solid rain which is unusual for our area. Everything in our garden looked so lush green and healthy after that good soaking with water.
2. My husband Mike is the lawn guy, it’s his thing and he takes his role very seriously. Every year we have a truck load of stinky lawn dressing spread over the garden and it really does turbo boost the grass growth.
3. A friend was giving me some seedling advice and he used the phrase ‘when you check on your plants in the morning’. It came out of his mouth so fluidly; as if this is what any decent gardener does.
At that moment the old saying ‘you get out what you put in’ flew into my head.
And so project feed my garden was born.
Step 1. Install rain water tank and actually water the vegetables when it doesn’t rain. We live in a harsh climate and often face water restrictions.
Step 2. Compost, fertiliser, mulch, repeat. This process adds elements to the soil needed for healthy plant growth, and it reduces evaporation from the soil adding to the effectiveness of Step 1.
Step 3. Spending time in the garden checking on seedlings, pulling out unwanted plants, managing growth and generally just checking that everything is okay.
The reward reaped from putting in more?
More water.
More nutrition.
More time.
A harvest of fruit and veg unlike any other we have had from this garden including a big, juicy, sweet watermelon. Looking out onto lush green vegetation. The curiosity and excitement when it comes to picking time. And of course the satisfaction of eating something that grew right next to our house!