In all the best partnerships a person settles into the niche that they excell at and develops his or her skills in there. John’s niche is the walled vegetable garden. It was not always like this.
I used to do all the vegetables but then came the animals and the manure and the compost! Well the compost turning needs a tractor, the man likes to work with the tractor and so began a trickle down effect. He made the compostand began to decide which garden got the compost. So he started taking over the vegetable gardens and I have become more involved with the manure making animals. 
Stalkers garden. There are other gardens but this is his favourite. It is filled with his choicest spring foods, lettuce, onions and radishes. Tomatoes in every corner. 
Cabbages and broccoli are in big beds of their own in there. Cilantro, parsley and celeriac. Horseradish. Strawberries. Yesterday I planted 150 potato tubers out in one of the East beds and there is room for two more rows. Twenty artichoke plants are scattered about the flower beds and 10 more blueberry bushes arrive soon. My leeks are calling to me to plant them out every time I pass them. John is not fond of leeks. The fennel bulb seed has been sown and the hazelnuts (that we are growing for pig feed) are struggling back to life.
The end of March is almost upon us and already we are well underway.
In the old days around here, so I am told, the Granny’s planted scented lilac bushes around the Out Houses. The Long Drops. Lilacs for the loo. I remember there was an outhouse at one of my grandfathers rather rudimentary country cottages in New Zealand. It had a stable door with the two short doors one above the other and was situated down a little path from the house. My Mother used to say that you either opened the bottom door and lost your dignity or opened the top door and reveal you identity, or shut both and suffocated to death.
There was many a time we would walk down the back path to the stile in the back fence, aiming for the the hills in the shimmering summer heat and see a disembodied head watching us above the bottom door of the dunny. Dignity intact though.
Good morning. We have a chilly blustery morning. TonTon and I shall be driving to the retirement home soon with The Old Codgers weekly list of bits and pieces. The Sheep Sitter also known as The Sheep Midwife will pop in on Mama while I am away. Mama is her usual sedate self this morning. Maybe she will take us all the way through April like she did last year. Mice and men should not make plans apparently.
I pick about two pound of asparagus a day so far, not enough to sell on the green truck yet. So far we have had it steamed or roasted. Soon I shall start making hollandaise sauce and mornays. We are still enjoying the fresh taste of unadulterated asparagus. And so are our friends.
The Herald Cat has arrived to encourage me to get a wriggle on! But this grey windy dawn does not look inviting. I will wear my clown pants again this morning I think.
Good morning. Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
86 responses to “Lilacs for the Loo”
In my early years, when I had to sit on an outdoor loo, (eg. Grade one at school) I was certain there were mice down there and would bite me. No one even suggested a poor freezing mouse would not dare make that place its home!
A trapper’s cabin, in Yukon, had one of those “dutch doors”. We loved being able to sit and watch the Northern Lights even if the seat was darned cold!
That is a terrible feel with your wee bottom exposed, wondering what is down there! Dutch Doors!.. thank you, i can never think of their name! morning aimee.. c
I wasn’t able to get to my computer until now, Celi, but I was wondering two things as I did think of you this morning: 1) how was Mama, and 2) were you still able to see the Old Codger today. You’ve answered my burning questions 🙂 Wish we could grow lilacs…apparently they don’t do well in our climate, but what a lovely, fragrant bloom! I am so proud of my vegetable garden….I’m not sure you’d recognize it as such–perhaps I need to call it a vegetable patch! 🙂 Good evening! Debra
Good and Yes.. Wonderful that you have a wee garden though,, there is something very empowering about growing your own food! even a little.. c
At my bach I had an outdoor loo with no door at all for many years. That solved the pong problem, as there was always plenty of fresh air and we could watch the fantails and other birds flitting by. Now it has a door, in its new version, but I got the builder to cut a little mesh window so we could still get plenty of air and see out. I like the idea of lilacs for the loo. Your vege garden seems to be growing apace. Fresh asparagus is so tasty.
Morning Juliet, I love fantails! Lovely wee birds! Pong is such an expressive word too! c
I love your mother’s saying, too funny. I’ve never seen a “Dutch” door on an outhouse, only a full door with a shape cut out of the top edge, like a crescent moon or similar.
I rather like those shapes and now of course i am thinking of having an outhouse myself OUT here! Morning Patti! c
I love the story about the long drop I was mortified when I first used one but now I try my best to ensure all my UK visitors get to experience them too :0)
I think a stable door for an outside loo is brilliant. I’ve always wanted a stable door for my back door but Peder isn’t keen. One day! 🙂
You are reminding me that I also had been using an outhouse in my early years, when visiting my grandfather, who was the blacksmith of the island’s community. No lilacs, though.
And it was a bit scary when you had to get out during night. There were spiders and mice and who knew what else!
Love your mother’s outhouse wisdom.
Also answers my question about hazelnuts for sale 😉
What’s not to love about leeks? 😉
There is a giant hedge of lilacs at the farm. They’re just about to burst open. And thanks to this post, I’ve noticed that the giant hedge is conveniently placed near our outdoor toilet (it’s a flusher). quelle bonne idée!
Love your new header image with the snowdrops. Gorgeous photos of your garden and I love the lilac…loo, or otherwise, how funny! Country wisdom, gotta love it.
Garden Wisdom, that would make a good name for a garden.. Wisdom.. c
Beautiful photographs of your stalkers garden! Looks delicious! How long have you been growing your asparagus? Mine are still far to young, or I am doing something terribly wrong…
Please tell me how you grow asparagus that looks thick enough to eat. Pretty please? 🙂
~Lynda
Mine is in its 4th year so i can pick for about three or four weeks now. if yours are tall and thin they are young, some of mine is stil like that and i am not picking it at all.. in a perfect world we should not even begin to pick until they are about three years in the ground. Heaps of compost seems to be the key. Mound it up above your asparagus after you have cut the fronds down for the winter. Asparagus is hungry.. c
Oh! OK, then I am doing the right thing, I was just misinformed about harvesting. Thank you Cecilia! I will have to be more patient then. 🙂
Hmm, I once heard a guy say that an asparagus plant is mature at 6 years, so we both have to be patient.. c
Oh dear. I don’t know if we’re that patient here on the Farmlet. But a nibble here and there couldn’t hurt I suppose.
just pick for a week and then let it go to fern .. all good!! i did and we are doing fine! c
Such lovely photos of your beautiful growing things . . . you make my tiny efforts feel simultaneously pusillanimous and all the more necessary–and make me want to try more, too. So, good on you, and perhaps a little uh-oh for me! 😉
Minnesota has marvelous lilacs, and I love that. I can’t wait for them to bloom – we are definitely behind you…they’re just barely coming into leaf yet. I gave my husband one for father’s day two years ago and it didn’t bloom last year…I sure hope it does this year!