Vegetable heaven
The satisfaction of a well ordered vegetable garden, for me, outweighs the pleasures of a decorative one. I like formality so the anatomy of straight rows appeals to me, so too, the uniformity of a single crop and the skills of organic cultivation. For these reasons I have always held a deep admiration for people who grow their own food. It strikes me as a far nobler form of gardening. It carries gravity of purpose and old words like ‘husbandry’ and ‘conservation’ come to mind. Best of all, there is the implied appeal to taste. A head of fresh green lettuces has a lot of crunchiness and when you add a vine of ‘Gardener’s Delight’ or ‘Sweet 100’ tomatoes sliced gently into a dish with basil you have the basics for a wonderful meal. Mix these with ‘White Lisbon’ scallions (onions) and a few slices of sweetened beetroot and you’ll have a tea-time salad to remember. In Cork we add celery, hard-boiled egg, cucumber, slices of ham, fresh peas from the pod and a herb dressing, but even if these were never added, those rudimentary ingredients are a pleasure in themselves
From this you will gather that those of us who have merely flower gardens are well and truly eclipsed by those gardeners who grow fruit and vegetables. When our roses, princess alstromerias, and bearded iris have finished their dance in the spotlight, kitchen gardeners will still be harvesting salad crops and new potatoes for supper, and putting warm stewed plums or blackcurrants into bowls for pudding.
