April 24

Every year I set Valentine’s day as the date I will at least start thinking about growing vegetables (although it probably needs to be earlier now we have a polytunnel).  This year it took me a full month before I actually did anything. Partly because of the cold, partly because it’s the busiest time for my teaching job, but mainly I was putting it off.

I spent most of March avoiding even going into the garden for fear of seeing all the tasks there looming, along with the certain knowledge that behind every task there is a chain of other tasks stacked up that need doing before it can even be started; before planting the raised beds we need to do something about the baby oaks and hazels we’ve been growing in there and before we plant the oaks we need to deer proof and are by building a fence, which in turn we need to get materials for and so it goes on  . . .  the to-do list keeps expanding.

Once I started doing some potting, I kicked myself for not doing it sooner. As it turns out, the polytunnel is a lovely place to be in even on the most bitterly cold March day. Much better than outside or in a shed, which is terrible for arthritic fingers. You can also play whatever music you want, as loud as you want, in a polytunnel without bothering anyone. But the biggest revelation has been how, in the brief time since the end of last summer, I had forgotten the simple pleasure of seeing things grow.

So the salad is now planted and the strawberries and fruit trees in the tunnel are being watered daily.  I’ve done tomatoes, cucumbers and a few other seedlings, and hopefully, by the time this column comes out we’ll have moved the oak trees and planted the beds ready for the soil to start warming again.  

We’ve also been planning other summer jobs on the croft – including all the ones we put off (and chastised each other for putting off), from last year. We found it surprisingly productive to do our planning meeting away from the croft this time, and realised, with a bit of distance and some nice cake, that some of the jobs we’d been putting off, had just been allocated to the wrong person.  When I was doing my GCSE’s I did a certificate in electronics as part of a vocational scheme at my east London comp. I often forget I have it until something needs rewiring. I can now proudly say that, with the help of some WhatsApp messages from the manufacturers, I can do diagnostics on an electric quad and change the motor controls from rear to front. The next challenge will be fitting the new replacement motor.  Perhaps it’s time to invest in some more vocational training!

This time last year, I wrote about different kinds of growth, and the green shoots of growth are apparent yet again in our small community. There are numerous newly created jobs, (lots in conservation), with more to come. Morvern Community Woodlands have been looking into creating community crofts by purchasing land from the Forestry. We’ve visited a few different community projects and it’s made me proud of what people are achieving here in Morvern.

Our off-croft croft meeting was a good reminder of the importance of playing to each other’s strengths, whether in a relationship or in a small community. Most of us have talents (sometimes even hidden from ourselves!) – not everyone is good at everything. It’s the desire to contribute, bring the best out in everyone, and work to grow things together that matters.