One year with the garden / 庭を借りて一年

Yesterday, while taking part in the communal work day at our allotment garden (what we call "Kleingarten" here in Germany), I realized — it’s been a year since I started renting this garden!

At the beginning, I was a bit worried because it’s not exactly close. But honestly, a 30-minute bike ride is nothing at all. And I can always go by car if I want. All concerns about distance and transport disappeared quickly.

Looking back at the photos from when I first got the plot, the bench was broken, and the trees had been left unattended for years — maybe even longer. An invasive, toxic tree that was recently removed was still growing back then (right of the shed). There were also large branches lying around, from trees that must have been cut at some point long ago.

It was quite chaotic, but I'm happy to find something in between. Moreover I was excited to have a much larger growing space compared to my small 2-square-meter balcony. Sometimes I went there two or three times a week. I guess I really do love gardening 😂

In summer, it turned into a jungle… Last year, I relied a lot on my friend who rents the neighboring plot to mow the lawn, but this year I’d like to be able to take care of it myself.

Little by little, I’ve been collecting outdoor cooking gears and enjoyed having coffee and warm lunch. This year, I’d love to try cooking with firewood.

This month, during pruning season, a friend’s family helped me cut back the overgrown fruit trees. My friend’s husband has even pruned trees over 10 meters tall, so he was incredibly reliable. We cut branches, cleared out a lot of the leftover items from previous tenants, and the garden has become much more manageable. I think one more trip to the recycling center with a larger car should finish it.

It looks a bit bare now, but I’m really looking forward to seeing it come back to life with greenery.

This year, I’m also planning to start repairing the garden shed — which is actually older than me! With advice from my friend’s husband, I’ll begin by fixing the leaking roof. Eventually, I’d love to turn it into my own little gardening and woodworking studio…☺️

I’m looking forward to another year of garden life. Wishing you all a lovely Sunday!

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昨日、市民農園（ドイツでいうところのKleingarten）の共同作業をしながら、そういえば庭を借り始めて一年だ！と気づきました。当初、ちょっと遠くて通えるか気になりましたが、自転車で30分弱なんてなんのその、車で行ってもいいし、心配なんてどこ吹く風。

当時撮った写真を見返してみると、ベンチが壊れていたり、数年、下手したらもっと長い間手入れされていなかった木が茂っています。先日除去された毒性のある外来種の木もまだ生えています。いつ切られたのだろうという大きな木の枝もごろごろ。

乱雑極まりないものの、いろいろ生えてくるし、2平方メートルちょっとのバルコニーから栽培スペースが格段に広がったのがうれしくてうれしくて、多い時は週に2-3回、ガンガン通いました。ガーデニングが本当に好きなんですね 😂

夏場はもうジャングル・・・。去年は隣の区画を借りている友人に芝刈りは頼り切りだったのですが、今年は自分でできるようになりたいです。

道具を徐々に揃えて、ガーデニングのかたわらアウトドアクッキングも楽しみました。今年は薪を焚いて調理するのもやってみたいなと思っています。

今月、木の剪定シーズンに合わせて、友人一家に手伝ってもらって伸びに伸びていた果樹の枝を剪定しました。友人の旦那さんは10mを超える木も剪定したことがあるとのことで頼りになりました。木を切って、前の借主たちが残していったゴミを捨てて、大分片付きました。ゴミ捨てはあと一回大きな車でゴミ処理場を往復すると終わりそう。

ちょっと殺風景になりましたが、これから緑が庭が生き生きとしてくるのが楽しみです。

今年は私よりも年上の小屋の修理に手をつける予定です。これも友人の旦那さんからアドバイスをもらって、まずは雨漏りしている屋根を直すところから。ゆくゆくは私の園芸＆木工オフィスにできたらいいな・・・なんて☺️

今年も庭ライフを楽しみたいです。みなさん、素敵な日曜日を！