Our Garden...

Now, most of you know that I grew up "out in the country". We raised cows and pigs, rode horses, and had to change irrigation pipe on a daily basis. So it may surprise you to know that we never really had a garden. Just wasn't on the agenda for my parents (and who can blame them - they had enough going on). Plus, my Grandpa was a Gardener with a PhD in tomatoes - like hundreds of pounds a year - and they gave us a lot of their bounty.

So I was a little surprised last year when I was struck with this crazy urge to garden. No, strike that. I wanted cherry tomatoes. But I figured that while I was at it, we should toss in a few other things. Dan helped me build two raised beds, and my dad took me to go get soil to fill them. Then, this past February, Max and I started some seeds.

They died. I would forget to water them, and they never seemed to be growing past the initial sprout. And I almost gave up.

But we decided to give it a second go. In April we planted some peas, lettuce seed, and cilantro. And then in May we planted tomato starts, peppers, and some herbs. These didn't die. In fact, the tomatoes and peas grew like crazy, and we even had some pumpkins sprout from the seeds that were in the compost. And several times a week, Max likes to go out and check his garden. We talk about which tomatoes are ready to pick, and how to be gentle and not damage the plant. We stood outside and ate peas by the handful. We speculate over the pepper that has grown to be very obviously not what was on the little label from the nursery. And we soak in the enjoyment of time together in our special little space.

My original goal has been met. We have eaten more cherry tomatoes than I ever thought possible. And with trepidation I am starting to watch the weather forecasts for our first freeze and the end of the garden season. Having my little garden has made me feel more connected to the memory of my Grandpa while connecting with my child. I'm going to miss it. But at the same time, I can't wait until next season - there are more things I want to try, and for that we may just need to build another bed or two...