I’ve had different people over the years ask me when I first got into gardening.
I’ve pondered this question for awhile and at first I thought back to my college years where I’d beg the owners of unused garden spaces if I could plant a garden in their tiny corner of a yard. In exchange, I’d offer up potatoes, peas, carrots, corn and beets and usually that secured my garden spot for another summer. At one point in college, I had 4 different gardens within the community and while me and Paul rarely had money, we were rich in delicious and wholesome vegetables which brightened up our college meals very well.
But, I think my gardening days go back much further.
I remember running barefoot on the acreage picking wild Saskatoons and searching for tart raspberries hidden in thorns. I couldn’t be more than 6 years old in these memories but it’s where I first caught on to the idea that there was food to be found if you knew where to look.
My first real taste of domesticated gardening though, was when we moved into a small town. Next door was an empty lot and my mom (mother to 5 children at the time) convinced the owner to let her plant a garden. It was an enormous garden.
One crisp morning, my dad took me out into the garden and pulled up a vegetable, peeled back the skin with his hunting knife and carved out a small piece of flesh. I hesitantly tried what I didn’t know then, was my first kohlrabi. It was delicious.
That memory has stuck with me and in that moment, at 9 years old, I was hooked on growing things. I helped my mom in the garden every year we lived in that small town. I did a fair share of playing too. Running up and down the rows of corn playing hide and seek with my siblings, making bouquets of fragrant dill and lavender and watching as my mom snapped off asparagus that grew everywhere like weeds and finding some for myself.
Now, I grow vegetables for others too. You really have to love growing things to do what I do. I mean that in the most humble way I can. Mother Nature can be brutal and the blood and sweat and tears that go into growing things can sometimes make a person wonder if it’s worth it. There’s a deep love there though, that sees me through every year.
I think for the 2023 season, I’d like to offer people the chance to experience growing things for themselves. I’ll let you in on more details later, but that’s what I’ve been mulling over and what I’ll work on this winter. For the rest of winter though, I’m going to rest up and heal up. Have a wonderful winter season!
