I’ve spent this Sunday afternoon in the best way: finishing up a satisfying book while enjoying some shade outside in the garden. The book “French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France” was originally published in 1991. Knowing that gardeners love hearing about the experiences of other gardeners, I’d like to share my thoughts on this charming, memoir style book by Richard Goodman. The title alone is sublime – how could I pass this up?
An American city dweller, Mr. Goodman describes the process of creating his very first garden, which happened to be in an obscure village in the south of France. Mr. Goodman’s vivid description of the small village in which he has landed conjures clear and beautiful images in the mind’s eye. If one has ever dreamed of living in rural France, this would be it.
Mr. Goodman and his Dutch girlfriend, Iggy, rent an old stone house in a teensy tiny (population: 211) village somewhat near Avignon, France, for one year and end up creating a garden there. He tells of their first days and weeks there, of the feelings of isolation and of striving to make friends. It is an older Spanish couple who become their first friends and inspire him to create a garden of his own. It is with the help of a newer, younger friend, Jules Favier, that his garden comes to be.
I love the way that Mr. Goodman stands in his weed-filled plot of land early on in the book, envisioning his future garden: “But then a picture came to me. I looked, and instead of a sanctuary for weeds, I saw a garden. I saw a garden of unparalleled majesty and voluptuousness, one groaning with bounty, green and robust. One where I’d have to brush aside the thick, healthy leaves and stems to make my rounds…A garden where things grew madly and happily, where I could swear and prune and dig and water and work.” Ah! Isn’t that what we all want for our own gardens?
As the ground is cleared and the time came for making decisions, his garden motto was: “Everything is permitted, nothing is forbidden.” He and Iggy went on a major plant buying spree and ended up with five varieties of lettuce, three of tomatoes, plus zucchini, eggplant, basil, parsley, string beans, lima bean, hot peppers, green peppers, red peppers, yellow peppers, carrots, radishes, melons, beets, cabbage, and chives. And some flowers, to boot. I cannot even imagine starting as a new gardener with so many plants! My motto is: start with a few things and expand each year. Buy hey, he had only one year to spend in France and why not go crazy?
Borrowing all but one of the garden tools and implements he used from his newfound friends and acquaintances, Mr. Goodman proceeds to create a garden of his own. The garden adventure ensues and at one point, Mr. Goodman asks himself, “Was all this effort for a few string beans, a few tomato plants, some basil and lettuce, some zucchini and a few eggplants – all of which we could buy at a store so very cheaply and so easily?” We gardeners know the answer to that question, don’t we?? Yes.
I won’t say too much more, this is a delightful book and an easy read. You’ll just have to check it out for yourself. Til next time!
No Comments