This Imperfect Plot

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June 2nd, 2011

Just because no one has ever asked me why this blog is called the Real World Gardener doesn’t mean I’m not going to answer the question.  Or at least try.

I am a real world gardener because:

• Sometimes I forget to turn off hose off and I flood my garden.
• Sometimes I plant things too close.
• Sometimes the weeds take over because I have other things to do like: go to work, wash the dishes, or take out the trash.
• Sometimes, however much I would like not to use any plastic in my garden, using plastic is often unavoidable (e.g. the hose).

I am a real world gardener because I am a living example of how easy it is to have an organic garden without trying too hard, without over thinking it.

the first bloom of re-seeding calendula

Somewhere, somehow, over the course of my life I’ve come to understand that beauty lies in imperfection, which has led me on an interesting path. If this path had a tagline, it would be: in pursuit of imperfection. So if beauty lies in the imperfection, and if there’s also truth in beauty, then the truth is somehow imperfect. Or imperfection is truthful.

The first zucchini of the year.

How does this relate to my gardening? And what does it have to do with the real world? Well, I love the way my garden changes from day to day, season to season, year to year. It’s an ever-evolving place for me to learn, to make mistakes, to achieve the truthful imperfection that I so admire in the world. And that is the crux of it: the real world isn’t perfect but it is absolutely beautiful, not despite it’s flaws, but because of them.

This trellis was easy to build with bamboo and twine. It took lots of patience—weaving the net was very time consuming, but well worth it. The peas love it, and soon the cucumbers and tomatoes will too!

Well, I hope this clears it all up for you. -eric

Tags: calendula, garden, trellis, zucchini