In the pain to gain ratio both these are the friends of the Inconsistent Gardener. The rhubarb will, once established produce prolifically with no more tending than half a bag of horse poo thrown on it once a year and watering in the dryer months. Our current rhubarb plantation crops so heavily that mid-season the freezer full and family heartily sick crumble. Sticks are distributed far and wide to unsuspecting colleagues and neighbours. I have taken to sneaking them into pigeon holes where colleagues regretfully have to take it home and feign enthusiasm at the crumble that they may or may not have actually produced.
The same goes for that other staple of the Inconsistent gardener the courgette. They have the duel bonus of out growing every variety of weed by shading out the competition while requiring about the same amount of attention as the rhubarb ie half a bag of horse poo and a bit of water in dryer months and they tend to thrive ( Living in Yorkshire we don't tend to have many of those in fact their tends to be more likely hood of them being washed away ), . On top of reducing the weeding and making it look like you are working hard in the garden they also produce groan inducing amounts of veg. I use one of the varieties that can be used as a marrow. Post-holiday I would often find a dark green behemoth lurking in the foliage that had escaped detection and had now grown to cat scaring immensity. The disposal of these two-foot-long monstrosities led to exploration of soup and curry recipes, in fact any type of cooking that makes them taste of something other than marrow. By mid season again I am reduced to stealth tactics of disposal, very much a drop and run technique and avoiding eye contact with the afflicted recipients.
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The Inconsistant Gardener
HumorThe cultivation of an urban garden in the time of Covid . One man's struggles against scarcity of compost , slugs and procastination while the world goes to heck in a hand basket
