Tuesday, June 29, 2010

GARDENING SKETCHES FOR THE LAYMAN

IF you have children, or know nothing about gardening and its many related phases, areas of knowledge and possibilities, you could start with a bean and a corn, the most simple elemental principle of botany, and the divide of vascular plants.  Dicots, monocots for their friends.  

Plant them in plastic cups with some holes to allow the excess water to exit. Use 3 different environments, shade, bright sun and complete dark. Watch  juat jappens.

Phototropism will certainly be the first
concept to learn.  Plants bend towards the light when in the wrong space, or when competition for light gets hard.

I realize that any time is fine to start gardening, living in an apartment or not.  Start planting or learning theory.  The second may be less costly or time consuming.  You do not need to buy books, the web is free...Seeds, plants are anywhere. If you have no money, improvise, collect, plant, trial and error.

ll SKETCH 

There are four books that I have enjoyed above others at times when reading books was meaningful.   That means reading, poems, short stories and novels.  Most are useless literature, except for escapism, dreaming and  with all the values literature professors give good and bad literature as part of their job. 

Don Quixote, Tropic of Cancer, Dubliners and One Hundred Years of Solitude.
These four are still great reading for whatever reason after three decades.  But One Hundred Years, is the one most connected with nature in my classical humble opinion.  The English translation by Gregory Rabassa is out of sight.

Birds, insects,  wild and domestic animals, minerals, medicinal plants, herbs, trees, edible and ornamental plants, in brief, NATURE in all its manifestations are evident part of life in Macondo.  Sure if in a jungle, what else?

That is the point.  Even though I have heard recently, about two fellows, Juan Marse and Josep Pla, authors from Catalunya,  that I would love to read, the literature in these times confirm a disconnection with the environment, flora and fauna...Everything seems to flow around concrete/asphalt and the SELF. Hollow words in a vacuum.  The existential anguish, loneliness, suffering,  being misunderstood and on and on.


Apaga i vamonos...


IN THE NEXT EPISODE

the minimal possible garden
one mile from the ocean


2 comments:

  1. Hello antigonum! Glad you posted about how children can learn about gardening. Yup, I recalled my teacher taught us about planting beans. It was interesting to see how a plant grows out of the bean and then a little plant. Hope you have a wonderful day today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have/will not have children. But their curiosity
    should be rewarded with practical things. Too many video games, silly sports,
    could be balanced with some skills related to our environment; just for fun or seriously.

    Thanks for the visit.

    ReplyDelete

Popular Posts