Date
ISO-GARDENING
[PART I]
I’ve just googled growing basil.
Three transplanted supermarket seedlings
have suddenly died outside. Too cold.
We didn’t know they were tropical!
Those green patches on the soil
on the inside crop are mould!
Due to the tea-leaves generously
and thriftily added to their soil–
for nitrogen, says my co-gardener.
And now we know they’re picky about water,
that solves our daily argy-
bargy over when to add it.
The space outside our back door once
grandly called ‘the herb garden’,
is being prepped for hopeful punnets
of lettuce and snow peas–
oh the visions splendid
of sturdy globes and delicious pods!
It’ll be fine, as soon as we cover it
with chicken wire to fend off
one neighbouring chicken,
three brush turkeys and a bandicoot;
oh, and work out where the leopard slugs
hide by day to wait for their evening feed.
Enormous creatures, centimetres long,
they glide out in the darkness
like pirate vessels
intent on tender plunder.
And I’d better prune our faithful rosemary bush,
enduring through drought and bouts
of sporadic gardening
that would leave it below
thickets of tomato plants
self-seeded, occasionally fruiting.
The self-seeded parsley
often flourished there
until work deadlines left them parched,
unwatered and drooping.
Oh, unproductive retrospective guilt!
We have high hopes this time.
My fellow gardener’s stopped
tipping daily coffee grounds
out the back door as mulch.
The cow manure’s bought.
We are on track. This time.