Hand Weeding

I have spent many happy hours weeding. Sad but true. A harmless and satisfying occupation. I like to kneel on a pad and work closely with the soil and the plants. Ideally without gloves. Close contact means I get to know what’s growing and observe each plant’s progress and growing conditions in a way I couldn’t possibly learn by bending over from a standing position with my backside in the air.

It is fabulous exercise because the inevitable stretching out to reach further away plants and weeds does abdominal muscles, shoulders, arms and thighs a power of good. I try to reach as far as I can from one position so I don’t damage any seedlings or compress the soil too much.

When you work closely like this, you get to know the obvious weeds, and also to identify new shoots and seedlings that you may not recognise. These can be left to grow until you can identify them, or not, in which case it’s interesting to wait and see.

There is joy in the unexpected, and sometimes it’s best to let nature take the lead.