French Breakfast Radish

2012

20" X 24"

Oil on Panel

Available at Gallery 1261

I read that the first year you plant a garden it’s all about the plants.
The second year it’s about expanding the beds.
The third year it’s about growing dirt.

Yep, that’s about right.
I’m now consumed with building the perfect compost pile.

Yes, I do keep adding more beds.
I now have a total of 15 devoted to vegetables
which doesn’t include the 8 potato bags
or the two compost bins where I let anything that volunteers
have a chance to prove itself.

But really.
How much fun is it to recycle everything from kitchen scraps to dog hair,
layer it with grass clippings, straw, dirt, weeds and whatnots
and sit back and watch it smoke.

It’s all about the dirt.

Until that first day in early spring…
when you go out and see two tiny round leaflets
peeking up above the soil line.
Then each day starts out with the inspection.
Monitoring the progress
the promise
and anticipating
the joyful celebration
of the day when you get to pick…
the first french breakfast radish.