GARDENING 101

You could probably say I've been a gardener all my life.  That's not to say I've been a good gardener all my life, or even a willing gardener all my life, but I that I have gardening memories back as far back as I can remember anything - that much is true.

I remember helping mom plant the garden - I wonder whose idea that was?  Having been a mom myself I know that there are some jobs that are easier done without the help of a small child and planting tiny seeds would be one of them.  All the same, I recall feeling that I was helping to do an important job - and believe me, with a family of seven kids, growing a big garden is very important. 

I remember her explaining how to make the rows, how to take into consideration the size of the seed when covering them with dirt, how to deal with weightless seeds on a windy day, and how all seeds had to be pressed into the soil so they could be securely in where they could access moisture for germination.  It always seemed mean to me that I should pack them so hard and still expect them to make it back out of the earth, but of course she was right and I was wrong.  She was a fountain of gardening knowledge and thankfully I had enough brains to listen and learn.

I got the basics from mom, and judging from the rest of the family's interest in growing things, I would say that I came by my desire to garden through my very DNA.  That's not to say that I haven't had some painfully embarrassing failures over the years, but every season has taught me something and my gardening knowledge continues to expand.  It's not only that though; gardening ties me to the earth ,and the time I spend working with the plants and in the soil is a time of meditation and memories of the people who have shared both their knowledge and their plants with me.  The veggies might be good for my body, but the experience is good for my soul.

I don't know where the time has gone but I find myself in my sixth decade and have lived in the same place now for 35 years.  That kind of time lapse and permanence has given me what it takes to build a park-like yard with substantial gardens - both vegetable and flower.  I will never be 'done' because as time goes by I am inspired by others' ideas or my own imagination.  Just this past year we have begun to establish an orchard as well, and maybe a bit of a market garden.  Heaven knows we will never be able to eat all the asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, and saskatoons we have growing out there ourselves.  We will decide what to do at a later date - meanwhile it's just fun to watch it all grow.

It's funny how a person is unaware of just how much they know on any given subject until they are asked to pass their knowledge on.  I got a call from my baby sister (she's ten years younger than me - you do the math, but she'll always be the 'baby' sister); she had some gardening questions.

While we do have the same parents, our growing up experience was different: my entire childhood was on the farm with the big garden but hers only started there, she grew up a town kid.  And then she married a guy whose job took them to a city where yard space was more important than garden space.  Until their son bought an acreage the idea of a garden wasn't even a thing ... but with this opportunity those gardening genetics had awakened - ground has been tilled, rows have been planted.

She had a list of things she needed to know ... were gardening gloves a good idea?  (YES!)  And what was 'hilling' potatoes?  Why did one do it, and how was it done?  On the one hand how could anyone not know this?  On the other hand, I guess potato hilling doesn't come up in casual conversation all that much. 

A subsequent phone call thanked me for the tip on garden gloves and while we were talking she marvelled about how the carrot seeds must have blown or washed all over the garden because she had carrots everywhere.  I told her to rub the leaves of one of her wayward carrots together to see if they didn't smell a lot like dill - another mystery solved.  It came in handy as they had wanted to make pickles and had forgotten to plant any themselves.

It was a few nights later that we talked again and I smiled at what she said.  I have written from time to time about my musings while I garden - how my time weeding flower beds or picking peas and beans is often spent in the happy, comfortable company of people important in my life even though I am all alone.  It was obvious from her comments that she had planted vegetable seeds true enough, and wanted to harvest good things to eat, but she had also been hoping for her own private crop of memories too ... and her first garden was already bearing this kind of fruit.

THE HEAT IS ON ...

The month of June has been a busy one around here with everyone working flat out to put together a celebration worthy of Canada's 150th birthday.  I am most proud to say on behalf of the Tourism Board who planned it, the volunteers who stepped up and helped out, and the folks who came out to play slow pitch, those who put an entry in the parade, the gals who provided the sparkle Canadian tattoos for everyone to wear with pride, everyone who supported the Lion's club at the dunk tank - especially the volunteers who were dunked - and the firemen who managed the fireworks display, the day came together as resounding success!  And from the pancake breakfast in the morning, the concession stand all day long, the pig roast for supper, the birthday cake and ice cream and the beer garden to end off the day no one should have gone home hungry either.  It was a good day.

July 2nd I, for one, just laid low.  It was so nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything for the first time in weeks that my biggest effort of the day was spent making the evening meal.  The day ended off with neighbours dropping in for a beer - the perfect start to 'real summer'.

Mother Nature seems to have realized that 'real summer' is here too; the temperature has climbed noticeable in the past two days.  The crops will really start to jump in development with the heat - especially corn.  Pretty sure if a person had the time you could sit and watch it grow hour to hour as long as there is sufficient moisture to fuel it.

Different parts of the prairies have had varied amounts of rainfall so far this year.  Even just an hour's drive away makes a difference.  Our daughter worries that her garden won't survive and yet mine should be okay if we don't get another rain for a while. 

With July here we prairie dwellers get pretty antsy about the weather.  The weather forecasters are always aiming to please urbanites who want hot temperatures and beach weather but farmers look for more moderate temperatures and a regular schedule of rainfall.  Those of us with crops and gardens are leery about really hot days - not only because of the stress it puts on the plants and how much it evaporates what water there is, but because big heat has the potential to brew up big storms with big winds and big hail.  A storm might be an hour long inconvenience for holiday goers at the lake but for a farmer it can be a season ender.  It makes us a bunch of sky watchers.

I'm not the kind of person who loves the heat at the best of times so when the temperature popped up into the 30's I retreated inside.  We don't have air conditioning but if we keep the windows open all night and close them first thing in the morning the house stays pretty cool all day.  Yesterday I picked the strawberries early in the morning and spent the afternoon inside making jam.  I had "water the flowers on the deck" on my list of things to do at some point during the day but as I was doing the dishes I noticed that some of them were starting to keel over in the heat.  How ironic that it was the Forget-me-nots who were in the worst shape!  I must make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Next on my list for the summer is getting ready for visiting grandsons at mid month.  I hope the strawberries are still producing for them - Grandma and Grandpa want to show them all the fun things that happen on the farm that their mommy grew up on.  The other night when we were outside trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights through the clouds we were treated to lightning bugs dancing around in the dark instead.  How many other treasures have I forgotten we have since our own kids are grown and gone?  I have less than two weeks to put a list of "things to do" together!