The Tangled Branch Discussion Forums

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              Rootbound

Seriously–space your tomato cones and cuke sites– 
spread them well beyond that first blush instinct 
for French Intensive togetherness.

The interstices will seem to scream oh colossal waste! 
but kindly wait for time to reach its inexorable fullness,

and like new friends who just pop up, or strangers
who propose on bended knee to become your new best friends, 
spawned of errant seeds cast by wind, or birds a-pooping, 
or the sacred vagaries of cosmic happenstance,

these volunteer vegetable seedlings, these hearty 
hail-fellows-well-met, these genial elbowers, 
these unbidden  roisterers–benign intruders, 

unexpected heads bursting wildly
into my elegantly over-planned life.

Smile at them once, just once– 
they become part of oxygen-exhaling, flowing 
green life blood of an unfolding backyard Mandala.
  
Self-ascribed prophets of serendipity, apostles 
of the congenial cuddling of Gaea, they would teach me 
poise, equanimity, and why light needs darkness, 
and darkness needs light.  

~
 

I love the image of your boisterous garden, the volunteer plants 'muscling in' and making a mockery of the planned tidiness and order.

Had to smile at 'the sacred vagaries of cosmic happenstance'.  Life is full of these, no matter what we may have planned

Thoroughly enjoyed.

One query:  Tomato cones.  Do you grow them on a cone-shaped structure of canes, just as my dad always grew his runner beans on a wigwam shape made of sticks, or is that supposed to be canes?

Gyppo

While I almost lost my throught the image overload in the centre of he poem this is a fun and elegant way to marry wisdom and philosopher with down to earth gardening. Like it a lot

Gyppo -- thanks for your read and kind comments.  Yes, no matter the planning, life is something else.

Tomato cones -- wire structures on which to grow indeterminate tomatoes.  It is another way to stake up tomatoes.  Never been satisfied with these methods. This last year I built a table like frame about waist height which seemed to work fine.

Tomato cones:  


 

Thanks Dave.  I will understand "image overload" to be the gentleman's elegant way of saying "vastly overwritten". and I don't take issue.  

Cheers.

T

Ha yes, the density and texture of the writing well reflects the vegetative exuberance described. A feel-good read.  

"vegetative exuberance" --  so glad that wasn't a veiled reference to my couch time. 

I will come back to this - falling asleep over my keyboard isn't helpful.

You are not one of the guys who burns the candle at both ends, I think you take a blow torch to the middle.