Gardening

The beginning of my garden...

My Grandpa was able to grow the best tasting tomatoes. Every year they would flourish. It could have been the sunny climate of Southern California, or it could have been his green thumb. Grandma loved growing radishes and spinach. It seemed that we always had a few fresh radishes on the dinner table. They had an average sized home lot but somehow I remember it being this vast space that seemed more like a park or Arboretum. The neighbors had an enormous avocado tree, that grew right along the fence line so naturally, we enjoyed fresh avocados on a regular basis. We also had a never ending supply of fresh squeezed orange juice from our tree that stood in the front yard. I still have yet to see another orange tree as large as this one. The top of the tree was as tall as the roof line. When I finally did taste store bought orange juice, I remember being very unimpressed. There is no comparison. A luscious fig tree grew alongside my homemade swing. I don't know which I liked better, eating figs right from the tree, or swinging on that wonderful swing that my Grandpa made. It was made from steel pipes set in an A-frame and had a wooden seat. I spent so many hours playing on that swing. I would stand on the seat and pretend I was a trapeze artist in the circus. I would swing as high as I could, then jump off and fly through the air. I wouldn't dare swing while facing the other way, there was a large group of pampas grass directly along the fence line behind my swing. The blades were razor sharp. I found this out the hard way. My Grandma warned me many times to stay away from them. But being the mischievous child that I was, I had to find out what she was talking about. I couldn't just take her word for it. Once I realized how sharp those blades of grass really were, I always made sure to play on my swing facing the correct way, towards the house, not the fence. I was always afraid of cutting my outstretched legs on that awful pampas grass. We had a small lemon tree that Grandma loved. She said that fresh lemonade was one of her favorite things to drink. She preferred it extra tart and tangy and that's how she made it, whether anyone else cared for it that way or not. She also froze the juice in an ice cube tray. She told me that one could never tell when one might need just a dash of lemon in a special dish. Now that I read cooking magazines, I often see that listed as a helpful hint and I always think, "My Grandma thought of that first!"
Along the driveway, was the cactus garden. Not one of my favorites but it seemed that we had plants of all types in our yard so these had to be included as well. I believe it started with just one cactus and grew each year until there were numerous pots and planters filled with them. If I came to visit and one of the cactus was in bloom, the first thing that Grandma would do would be to take me out to the driveway to show me the glorious flower. I always got a tour of the yard, the latest plantings, blooms, or harvests. Somehow, they just seemed to know everything about gardening. When to plant, when to fertilize, how to make compost, what types of plants grew best for where they lived. I never thought to ask them how they learned to do such amazing things with the plants in their yard. People aren't just born with a green thumb, are they? If they are, then both of them had the gift. It seemed like they each took ownership over certain vegetables in the garden. If we were eating beans for dinner and Grandpa grew them, he seemed especially proud if we complimented the taste. And if we had a spinach or romaine salad, Grandma was grinning from ear to ear because it was the best tasting salad we'd ever had. I loved her strawberry shortcake, with her fresh strawberries of course. I never saw them buy strawberries when their garden was in full swing. They didn't have a huge space for vegetables, just the area behind the garage. Their house was built in the late 1940's and was a typical ranch style home with a detached garage at the back of the lot. Almost all of the homes in their neighborhood were laid out that way. That area was sunny all day until the neighbors behind them  planted a row of trees that grew too tall and ended up blocking most of the sunlight. Luckily, this didn't happen until they were in their eighties and ready to slow down a bit. It still made them sad. I could tell that they missed being outside, in the dirt, with work gloves on. It was a vital part of who they were. They needed to be out in nature. That's one of the reasons that they camped so much. And went on evening walks, and day trips to the beach or the mountains for picnics. I am much the same. I require nature, to stay level and happy. I love the city and the busyness of it but I cherish my times outdoors, where I can hear birds singing, water rushing, and feel sunshine on my face.
This year, my husband suggested that we move a little closer to sustainability. It is a slow process for us. He thought it would be fairly simple to plant an herb garden in containers and place them on our deck. Since I cook with herbs quite a bit, I agreed with him. Somehow, that small herb garden grew into a complete vegetable garden. I do not know how it happened. I'm better in the kitchen than outside. He handles all of our yard maintenance. As a teenager,he worked part time with a crew that cleaned up repossessed houses. And he learned grass cutting and edging, tree trimming and hedge trimming. He would often take care of my Grandparents yard when they were older. So, now I'm committed to planting a real honest to goodness garden. I wish I had paid more attention to Grandma and Grandpa when they were working in their yard. I will freely admit that I don't know what I'm doing. And I'll also admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying the process. I started all but two plants from seeds. I bought two tomato plants and also four strawberry plants. Everything else, I've managed to grow, on my own. Aside from my cat eating the leaves off of three of my bean plants, everything is sprouting. I'm actually shocked. I went into this thinking that if it all flops, at least I'm not out much, just the cost of the seeds and the planting trays. But I've surprised myself. First, I didn't think that I could get that many plants to grow. Second, I had no idea that I would love it as much as I do. I enjoy being outside, watering and taking care of things that I've helped to create. It's an amazing feeling to see these seedlings grow more each day. And now, I do understand the idea of taking ownership over a vegetable or flower. You've nurtured it, each day, helped it along, sent it good thoughts even. While I didn't pay close attention to all the details of gardening as I was growing up, I did take away a big lesson. That there is peace in nature. There is a sense of happiness that comes from being outdoors, in the sunshine, or the rain. Life is precious. All life, plant animal and human. It's been five years since Grandma passed away, and seven months since Grandpa passed. I miss them everyday but I feel their presence with me. I know they would like my garden. I'm sure they've taken a tour of my yard to see all the latest plantings, blooms and harvests.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. " ~John Muir