I was never interested in gardening until I got my first community plot over 20 years ago in Burnaby. It was very definitely a learning experience. My first garden was 100 square feet and I had no idea what I was doing. It came complete with a lot of weeds, a tired old wood compost and a rather bedraggled scarecrow. I loved it. I think I managed to turn half the soil one weekend and then commenced to throw in seeds. The next weekend I tacked the other end and then when I came back I started in weeding again. It wasn't the neatest garden but considering my inexperience I did okay. I ended up giving away quite a bit and ended up with some really gigantic zucchini. No one told me that they could double their size in a day. The slugs... oh the slugs, they were something else. They loved my lettuce. To this day I can't look at a head of romaine lettuce without thinking of them. I would soak the lettuce and all these slugs would float to the top. Yuck!!
I took a head (washed) of romaine to my girlfriends place one night for dinner and she proceeded to make a caesar salad with .... shrimp. I was sure I had gotten those slugs out but I couldn't help thinking about them as I ate. It was good but....
I think some of our passions are passed down from our ancestors. My grandfather was a wonderful gardener and had a beautiful garden. I only wished that I was interested in it while he was alive. I would have loved to have learned from him. I wonder what he did with slugs.
My grandparent's backyard, Vancouver 1958.
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