December 6, 2012
I’m contemplating a small vegetable garden. Ho-hum you say,
but this is a more earth-shattering statement than you might think. It’s been
years since I had more than a tomato plant in a pot on the patio. What if I’ve
forgotten everything I learned about growing veggies?
The love of having a veggie garden skipped a generation in
my family. My mother was never into it. She had beautiful, beautiful
flowerbeds, but grow something to eat? Nope. If you grow it, you have to either
eat it ASAP or preserve it in some fashion. Mother just wasn’t into it, and no
one in my father’s family had a garden. So most of what I learned was at my
grandfather’s knee.
I’m blessed with three acres of land, so a spot for a garden
isn’t a problem. A way to keep the deer out of it is, though. Those
bast…er…animals can jump over moving cars. A cute little picket fence will have
them laughing. My solution - my honey is making me a plywood cut-out black
“wolf pack” to install on top of the stone fence. It won’t stop them
completely, but it will help. And I’m
getting another dog, one who is young, agile, and thinks chasing deer from the
yard is fun. My old dog can’t run anymore, but he’s earned his retirement.
My cousin will till the plot for me, but I think we’re going
to invest in our own Kubota. Or John Deere. Or whatever we can get a deal on.
So muscle and deer prevention are handled. The real dilemma - what do I want to
plant?
Tomatoes, peppers and lots of leafy lettuce are givens, but what else? I like cole
slaw so some cabbage would work. Onions, cucumbers and maybe a watermelon would
fit in the plan. That’s probably enough for 2013 as I delve back into this. I’m
sure I’ll expand as the years progress and I get closer and closer to my
imaginary retirement.
I like the idea of becoming more self-sufficient, even if it
is in small ways. It takes me back to my youth. I suppose it’s ironic that so
many people thought abandoning the backyard garden was a sign of prosperity and
now it’s in vogue again, but that’s a blog for another day. Right now, I’m going
to the Burpee website and look at seeds and dream of home-grown tomatoes on a
thick, juicy hamburger with grilled onions and peppers, some homemade dill
pickles and a side order of slaw.
Hmm. Perhaps I should’ve had lunch.
KC Kendricks
2 comments:
I plan on growing one in earth boxes on my balcony and around my shrubs. I used to grow an in-the-ground-one. But we live in a deed restricted community now.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
I think even with the space we have we'll have a combination of in-ground and raised beds. I'd like to try some baby carrots, too, so a raised bed for them solves a lot of problems. There's nothing like a truly fresh salad in the summer.
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