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Last year I lived in a four-bedroom house with three other people. Jason owned the house while Joleen, Kirsten and I rented rooms.
Mostly it was a good arrangement. Our rent was a sliding scale (I assume Jason had an intricate algorithm worked out in Excel) based on current income, size of room and contributions to the house.
One month, for example, when I wasn’t working, I painted the fence to offset my rent. Three days of work got me…well I may have moved out before actually receiving the discount now that I think about it. The point is the arrangement was mutually beneficial.
Jason also accommodated big ideas. Joleen, who was around almost as sporadically as Kirsten (Kirsten worked offshore a month at a time), decided the yard lacked a garden. After some research, Jason agreed and I came home to half the side yard rototilled into a shape vaguely resembling a rectangle.
Immediately Joleen’s sage and basil moved from indoor pots to outdoor living. A mutual friend also brought over various vegetable seeds and rows were set.
Through the entire process, I was wary of the garden’s success as no one had any sort of expertise. Of everyone in the group, I was around the most. However, I was definitely not interested in the responsibility of summer vegetables.
Admitting my lack of enthusiasm is embarrassing, since I love fresh veggies and don’t mind weeding, watering and whatever else it is you do with gardens. I just didn’t feel capable of keeping these tiny sprouts alive and certainly didn’t want to disappoint my housemates.
In July, I decided to take a bus trip across Canada, starting in the west and ending in the east. Summer was a good opportunity for me to travel on a budget, since I had lots of time but limited income. However, I worried about rent. No matter how much the scale slid, I didn’t want to leave Jason in a tight spot. At the last minute, a friend stepped in and offered to take my room. This friend happened to be the one who helped plant the garden.
With no more rent and no more garden, I left burden-free on my holiday.
A month later, I was shocked to discover a thriving side yard. There was so much green I couldn’t get over it. Immediately I picked some sample peas in celebration.
When asked for her magical secret, my friend looked confused.
“Gardening is not magic. You just have to make sure to protect the seedlings while they’re growing—fertilize the soil, keep the dirt weed-free and feed them lots of water. After that, they take care of themselves.”
It seems to me this lesson can be applied to more areas in life than just vegetables.
By Robyn Roste
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