I know an elderly man in his early nineties who phones me on his mobile phone every year and asks me to dig over his veg plot on his smallholding a few miles from me.
He covered up the plot in March with great builders plastic sheeting and he rang me again this week to remove the plastic and dig it over and get it ready for planting.
I duly agreed to get up and carry out the task the next morning:
The man told me he would never be able to carry on gardening if it wasn't for me digging it over and getting it ready for him.
I said: "Horses for courses". We both agreed.
I went away in awe of someone who believes in keeping fit and active and doesn't use chemicals and grows naturally. What an amazing gentleman.
They have put poultry bedding and manure on the veg plot for over twenty years. I can honestly say I have never worked such nicer and friable soil.
I hope I am still active and gardening in my nineties. Perhaps being 61 is still young? Apparently I am in the 60-69 young, old category.
Enjoy the sun this weekend and your garden or allotment?
If you keep on getting exercise like that you'll probably live to be 100!
ReplyDeleteWell done you, I used to help my elderly neighbour for years with her garden, just the heavy stuff, brought joy to both of us. The soil in my dad's garden was brilliant, it was heavy clay, but he worked it for years, he could grow anything.
ReplyDeleteEither that or it will kill me JayCee.😃
ReplyDeleteThanks Marlene. I also dug trenches to plant his chitting potatoes. There are many allotment waiting lists in England. I am sure a lot of old people would let young people grow veg in their gardens. Just because someone is too old to dig. It doesn't mean they can't get some to dig it for them.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats sat in a garden of most kinds, I don't much like the modern ones with little or no plants
DeleteI like beer gardens in olde worlde English pubs. Mature gardens have great soil and mature shrubs like Hydrangeas. I wouldn't buy an house without a garden.
DeleteHard work will keep you fit. Build a few more stone walls, dig over a garden on a regular basis, and you've got the Northsider Dave Fitness Routine. Couple that will Northsider Dave Healthy Vegetable Cookbook, and there you have it. You'll live forever!
ReplyDeleteI will buy the franchise Debby. If only we got younger every day? A bit of hard graft does you good. You and Tim know that one. Thanks Debby.👍
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear of someone so enthusiastic and gardening at 90. I'm sure you'll be the same Dave. It gives you great joy and contentment, fills up your life. That and prog rock and walking and cruising car boot sales and...... no feeling old for you
ReplyDeleteIt gladdens my heart Linda. My own children have no interest in cultivating vegetables or plants. I love Ireland when the weather is nice like now. We have enough of the long dark nights and gales and relentless rain. Yes Ireland and Spring is great right now. I hope Poros is the same Linda?
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like good soil Dave.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful friable soil Rachel and full of fat red earthworms. Like the old times when they spread fym instead of slurry. Thanks Rachel.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a kind thing to do. Paying it forward, and perhaps someone will do the same for you one day.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jules. It's partly one of the reason I made my raised beds so that we can still garden when we can no longer dig. I would hate to stop gardening and growing vegetables and perennials.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful soil there Dave - something to aspire to I guess. You've got 30 years of fym to go on yours. Good of you to keep a local still going in their own place. My great aunt gardened to her death aged 94. I regard that as a challenge...
ReplyDeleteYes wonderful soil TM. Your great aunt was remarkable.
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