You Win some, You Lose some…

Gardening fatigue has definitely kicked in. Even weeding my borders or mowing the lawn feels like climbing the Kilimanjaro…

The last draw was when I came back home from a week-holiday late last month, to find that my tomato plants were literally roasted. Burned. 5 huge grow bags full of lush green tall tomato plants – with barely any fruit though – gone to waste. All that organic soil full of tomato fertiliser and organic seaweed, my blood, energy, time, money, sweat and tears…Heart-wrenching it was!

I came out of the taxi straight to the back garden, and absolutely did not expect such a shocking display.

HOWEVER. Next to the dried-out plants were standing the ever-resilient almighty pepper plants, covered with juicy-looking shiny green peppers, in all their glory.

In a matter of minutes, I went from lamenting aloud while snatching the fried leaves off and cutting off the dead blackened stems, cursing all the elements known to man, to philosophising on what this was supposed to teach me…

Well, you win some and you lose some.

Nothing really is guaranteed in life is it? But one sure thing is we will learn from our predicaments if we allow the teaching to hit us.

This tomato plant disaster could seem trivial at first, but it reminded me that losing can be purposeful. As horrible as it was, the peppers next to them were telling a different story. “Yes you messed up the bloody tomatoes (and the strawberries…), but the picture isn’t all gloomy is it? Cheer up!”

I’m definitely better equipped now in knowledge before my next go at growing tomatoes next year, thanks to all the mistakes that happened in the process of growing them from seeds. I know exactly where I missed the mark and should – hopefully! – be better at my next attempt. Will I grow from seeds again? Not sure…

I’ll pick my first peppers and dig out the first carrots next week, we like firsts like that!

I’ve got winter vegetables seeds and spring flowers bulbs ready to go in the soil, but I’m in no hurry to start sowing again just yet; I’m giving myself another couple of weeks and will get back at it.

To the next lessons (oh yes there will be more)! Life is a wonder…