The Secrets of Gardens

I have always been drawn towards senior citizens, even as a small child. I would visit my next door neighbors routinely as a preschooler and listen to their stories of 'ol. I loved imagining what life was back in the "olden days" and really enjoyed their mellowed energy. It was a counterpoint to my world of modern society where media is so prevalent and distractions seems to be around every corner.

Just as a side note I just read this new David Sedaris story and thought it was really funny...retro living gone wrong.

My grandparents were doers. My baba baked her own bread, went blueberry picking when the season was right and grew her own tomatoes. It was just something she did. It is not like she had more time than the rest of us, it just something she did instead of something else, like watching t.v..
It seems that we have lost something with the modern amenities that we have all come to enjoy and rely on possibly too much. We no longer "need" a garden like they did say during WWII, we have plenty of produce to choose from in the stores, but perhaps we do need them in an ecological, psychological, and even biological manner. According to many studies, having a relationship with our natural world is essential to our overall happiness and health. Without a connection to the outdoors people, particularity children, can suffer from what author of Last Child in the Woods , Richard Louv, coins "nature deficit disorder". This book is truly wonderful and has changed the way I go about parenting and looking at the outdoors. I am sure I will be talking about this gem again! Anyway.....back to the topic.....gardening is also a great form of exercise. It seems silly that we get on treadmills and elliptical trainers when we have a pre-made workout called gardening! (oh FYI I do have a treadmill....but also have a garden...see my future post on guilt).

What am I getting at???? Well, many older people already have an established relationship with the outdoors through gardening. It is just something that they do because they have always done. They are such an amazing resource, and one you just can't get from a book. So I have made a brand new friend of the senior citizen kind, an expert, the king-daddy gardener in all of Reading. I will call him Mr. A. I found him quite by accident one day when I was riding my bike around town looking at our collective home from a slower pace. I called out to him, "Is that your garden?" He kindly replied, "Yes, want to come take a look?" Of course the farmer wanna-be in me couldn't resist and that is how I found the most beautiful and enormous home garden that I have ever seen. This really can't really be called a garden, more like a small farm! Best part of all...Mr. A can tell sure tell great stories and loves to talk about gardening!

So I now visit him regularly on my bike rides about town. We chat about soil, compost, history, politics, manure, pig slaughtering and just about anything that pops into our heads. On one of my visits he tells me of how on Washington Street in Woburn before 128 was created, his world was a series of farms all up and down Washington St. What is now the Woburn Post office...farms. The car dealership....farms. On and on. This is where he honed his skills as a youngster farming with his family in Woburn! Can you imagine! He tells me during WWII you either had a garden and chicken or you did without. I am amazed and a bit saddened that it had changed so very much. He thinks that maintaining and preserving land for agricultural uses is very important and perhaps Reading has missed the boat in that regards. Looking around Reading and seeing no land in use for agriculture, I happen to think it is spot on. I recall a recent story about of the citizens of Westport, Ma collectively purchasing a farm for 1 million dollars to keep away from developers and now have sold it to a young farmer for $32,000. Ahhh....what could have been. Perhaps we could have been saved from the Kylie Lane project gone terribly wrong.

Mr. A. is 76 and maintains all of his gardens without a weed in sight using organic methods. Yes, he is an organic farmer. He really emphasises the importance of composted loam, and when you step on his soil it is soft as pillows beneath your feet. Yet, he still has time for fishing (he caught this trout this morning in Concord) and talking with friends overlooking the fruit of his labors. I can't even believe my ears when he tells me how he grew 7 tons of tomatoes on his back field? That's right, he grew one season 7 tons of tomatoes on his property. In Reading!

So today we chatted and he talks about the dangers of food from China! Hello....you are preaching to the choir, my friend. I guess this just adds to the ever increasing list of why you should garden, you will know where your food comes from when it is from your yard!

Not to despair, I know you want to garden right this second. The good news is that you can still have a vegetable garden on a small scale even now. You could still plant green beans from seed and get instant gratification! In this warm season you will be amazed how quickly they will grow. Where to plant...try a large pot in a sunny place. Or go ahead grab a shovel and in a sunny place set up a tiny garden. Don't be afraid to use your front or side yards as I have seen so many really successful edible gardens in these locations. I have tomatoes growing this year in pots on our front yard step away from our front door. (FYI my husband had a bit of protest at first but is most happy with our results) You could also plant some cabbage seedlings and give it a go. I had cabbage in my garden last year until Thanksgiving when I picked them for our family feast. You could also plant an herb garden in a planter for wonderful pickings until a hard frost. Last year my parsley did will until Dec/Jan!

You can also just start your garden plans for next spring. Find yourself a neighbor or friend and talk with them about their edible garden. I also highly recommend the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. It really gives a step by step plan to getting great results with small efforts and space. If you are an experienced gardener, don't be shy, talk about your successes with friends or neighbors that show an interest. Or even those who don't :)

I know that many of you have wonderful flower gardens and they are so very important as well. This is not an either or situation. You can have both and probably should have both. When you have a vegetable garden attracting insects for pollination is a great thing. Many flowers can also repel many unwanted insects away from the garden and away from all your hard work. Mr. A also has a wonderful portion of his garden devoted to flowers. While sitting and chatting I became awed at the shear number of insects and animals that were visible at any giving moment. He has the circle of life around him in a big way!

All for now. I must now manage all the additional zucchini, summer squash and green beans Mr. A. generously gave to me. I know you are a bit envious...but you will have to get your very own organic gardening mentor....Mr. A is taken :) To make it up to you come on over for some zucchini bread ;)

Happy gardening!