The hungry gap

(A most satisfying crop!) 

May finds the garden at odds with itself. Whilst the greenhouse is groaning with potential produce, the vegetable beds offer meagre fare. 

Shallots are growing well, potato haulms are poking through the soil, carrots are showing the first signs of foliage, and lettuce are forming nicely. But there is very little to harvest at the moment. 

It's what our ancestors would have known as the hungry gap - leading to lean days using up the last of the winter reserves, and foraging the hedgerows for whatever was edible. 

When the first crops of the year come along, it makes them all the more welcome. In our modern world of supermarkets and deep freezers, it's easy to be blasé about food. But just because we have peace and plenty at the moment, doesn't mean that it will always be so. 

Losing the simple art of growing your own food is a dangerous thing. The more we work in concrete office blocks, the further removed we become from nature and the natural cycle of the way our food grows. 

The simplest life is the happiest life. It starts with a packet of seeds and the willingness to get our hands dirty. 

Copyright © Mark Beards 2023 mbeardsgardening.blogspot.com