When I get home from The Farm I look at the home garden through fresh eyes. I re-engage. It’s a big yard, but after The Farm it feels a lot more manageable.
So after hanging the washing this morning I wandered over to admire my herbs. They’re loving the hot, wet weather this summer. I have basil, oregano, thyme, parsley (regular and flat-leaf), sage, chives, mint and rosemary. I also have a few chilli plants bursting with fruit.
In amongst the herbs, which live in purple-painted raised beds, there are two lemon trees. They’re new, planted only six months ago, so the first fruit flush has to go, sacrificed for the trees’ long-term benefit. While it pained me to do it, this young crop had to be plucked and binned. Here’s hoping I’ll reap the reward next season with strong trees and a bumper harvest.