A good plan is just the beginning

Ok, so here’s the plan. On Friday, a big truck is coming to my place. Why? I’m going to shake out all that soil I turned in the front yard to be sterilized. Yep, the ball is in motion; I’ve got a plan and I’m sticking to it.

After I shake out all the soil from the clumps, I’m going to toss those clumps into the back of my brother’s brand new truck (thanks Marco). We’re going to take all that stuff to the dump to be composted. I figure muddying up his truck is worth the years of teasing I endured as the youngest sibling. He owes me. And how.

Next, I’ve got the lovely Ersin from Planet Earth Organics coming by. He’s the only landscaper in town that I trust to give me the best advice on native species, biodiversity and organic gardening methods.

Yeah, he’s great.

So we have this great bartering system in place: I help him, he helps me. He’s bringing his mini excavator over to remove a dastardly stump that is plaguing my front garden. He’s also going to haul over a trailer load of fresh organic soil to amend what is under that big old blue spruce out front. Then we’re going to grade the soil, make it all even. Then we wait to plant.

One thing I’ve learned is when a job gets too big for your britches, you’ve got to ask for professional help.

And that’s the plan. It’s been in the making since last fall, if you’ve been following along. One thing I’ve learned is when a job gets too big for your britches, you’ve got to ask for professional help. That could look like a bunch of friends coming by with some muscle if you need something moved, or a true professional that will require payment for their expertise and services.

If you have a relationship with your “professional” then bartering might be an option. Perhaps you have a talent. Toss it out there on the bargaining table. You’d be surprised how receptive folks are to the old fashioned way of payment.

You know why this works so well? First, because we all know that money isn’t everything, and second, because our time is. If there is some way to make a job less time-consuming, then there’s worth in it. If someone came by and said: “I’d like you to spruce up my garden. Weed it and edge it and then I’ll paint your kitchen,” I’d be all over it.

Besides my deal with Ersin, I’ve got a friend who wants some gardening done. She’s a fabulous visual artist and has offered up a painting I’ve been admiring for my services.

She has a plan that seems manageable and so I agreed. Tit for tat, as they say.

What’s in store for your garden this year?

Anne Boulton is an avid gardener who lives in Sudbury. Visit her blog at greenboots.ca or contact her at [email protected]. 
  

Posted by Heather Green-Oliver