gardening philosophies

The dad-garden project has reached a bit of a stand-still . . . or stand-off, rather. My plan was to build a new garden patch along both sides of the walkway. I was going to cut the grass really short along both sides of the walkway from the driveway to the door. Then, I was going to lay wet newspaper over the grass and build on top of it new soil and compost mixtures. The grass and weeds would eventually be suffocated and then decomposed, adding to the soil nutrients. I called my dad at work to ask him how to calculate square yard-age from measurements in feet (sigh, I should have just googled it). We got into a conversation about how much soil I would need to order from the local feed and seed in order to suffocate the grass. Unfortunately, the conversation touched a sensitive nerve of both the frugal immigrant and the embittered witness of the Great Leap Forward in him, turning into more of a confrontation:

"I don't want to suffocate the naturally growing plants in this environment! And I'm not going to spend money on soil! Who buys soil?! What do you think the grass is growing on?"

"Dad, are you saying that you want grass or weeds to grow in your flower garden? The soil is for starting a new flower bed."

"I don't want to suffocate anything that occurs naturally. It goes against the entire philosophy behind this garden!"

"There is a philosophy?!"

"Yes, the philosophy involves no destruction or suffocation of what grows naturally! And I don't want to introduce any plant that will require such high maintenance as buying soil. Gardening is supposed to be leisurely! Also, this is what a true environmentalist does [aurora: 'cause all the other ones are just faking it!]; I don't want to force what will not grow naturally. My philosophy behind this garden is imperative!"

Wow, is buying soil bad for the environment? Really? I actually felt guilty for a second. It turns out that my plan was some sort of herbicidal plot to eradicate entire species of clovers and dandelions. Apparently, this garden was going to have a philosophy and buying soil was not part of the equation. What is this so called philosophy rooted in? Saving money and exerting as little effort as possible? Sounds like the foundation of any good garden . . . sorry, environmental garden. I don't know, maybe the man has a point. But, until my client/dad figures out how his garden philosophy translates into practical terms (i.e. throw a handful of wildflower seeds into the lawn and cross your fingers?), this project is on hold indefinitely.

Refusing to give any smidgen more thought to the garden, I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with my mom. With her mother's senses, she decided to soothe our (ok, fine, my) battered egos with delicious homemade wonton soup (made with Chinese chives that she grows in the backyard). I happily gave the garden planning/plaining a rest and enjoyed the fruits of her labour. At least someone's labour was appreciated today! Geez.