Is gardening really fun?

For three days we’ve been weeding the garden. Not much fun in the heat wave we’re presently experiencing, but it needs to be done. Weeds grow profusely with heat and moisture. They can take over a garden in no time. That’s why they are called weeds. Eventually, if given free run, they will choke out the ‘good’ plants...the vegetables.

A garden demands work. If one isn’t prepared to do the work then it is best not to have a garden. I remember when we lived in our first house in our early years of marriage, the neighbors next door worked like beavers in the Spring to seed and plant their garden. But that’s when they stopped working it. By summer the garden was nothing but a giant weed bed. I don’t remember if they ever did any harvesting.

The work in the garden starts with getting it prepared, like tilling, adding fertilizer, making the beds, and, finally, the seeding and planting. Then the soil needs to be watered regularly. The emerging small plants need to be protected from early frost, high winds, and even the unexpected hail. Then their are other dangers, like rabbits, cats, and even the occasional dog running across the garden. Sometimes birds may pick the seeds.

Once the plants are growing, other interested parties come to investigate, even move in. There are aphids, moths, butterflies, and other undesirables trying to share or even destroy the young and delectable plants. Some, like cutworms, hide in the soil to attack tomato and pepper plants. And then come the weeds. It is a constant battle.

So why have a garden in the first place? Well, people have different reasons. For me it’s the joy of putting tiny plants or seeds into the ground and then watching them grow into tall, strong plants, and eventually picking the fruit. There is nothing more satisfying than picking the first cucumber or the first tomato with the knowledge that I grew them myself. You just cant compare the taste of store-bought vegetables with vegetables that have ripened on the plant. Every time I pick fresh beans I am amazed how many shoots are on one plant and to know they all came from one tiny bean, which I put into the ground only weeks before. It truly is a miracle. One has to experience it to understand nature.

To be a gardener one has to be a bit of a scientist. It is important to learn about soil, the different types of fertilizers, about watering, and other information to grow a successful garden. One has to study up on the different vegetables, how to take care of them, when to fertilize, when to water, and when to pick the fruit. Even on how to prepare them once they’ve been picked. Fortunately, there is a ton of information to be found on the internet and in books. And the beginning gardener can always ask an older gardener. Gardeners love to talk about the gardens and are only too eager to share their experiences and knowledge with novices. And sometimes even experienced gardeners talk with each other to share information.

And one doesn’t have to have a huge parcel of land to have a garden. Just a few tomato plants, a couple of cucumber plants, some peppers, and a few beans don’t need much space. One can even use large pots to grow a tomato plant or a few herbs. The desire and the interest to do it has to be there, of course. And no fear of a little bit of hard work.

Sometimes, when I drive through poorer neighborhoods and I see the backyards littered with junk or overgrown with weeds, I cannot have sympathy with those people when they complain about having nothing to eat. What’s wrong with a small garden and growing some vegetables? They could even plant potatoes. Sure, it takes work, and that is the problem. Some people are just plain too lazy to work. That’s why  many of them live the way they do. I grew up poor in the Old Country after the war, but my parents had a garden, we raised rabbits for meat. We even had a couple of goats for milk, butter, and cheese. I remember as a kid picking dandelions and other plants in the ditch for the rabbits, because we didn’t have land of our own. Nobody complained about child labor. Where there is a will there is a way. That’s an old saying and it is so true.

The garden looks good now, with most of the weeds gone. I already picked one cucumber and there are three nice ones growing to be picked next week. By the end of this week we’ll be eating our first of the lettuce. There are a few tiny tomatoes on some of the plants, and the plants all look healthy. I sprayed them yesterday with Bordo, a copper-solution, to prevent ‘The Blight’, which means the yellowing of the leaves, a virus that is in the soil. So I put grass clippings for mulch around the plants when I planted them and that seems to help also. Things are looking fine. As long as we don’t get any hail we should have a good harvest with plenty of beans, beets, and tomatoes, along with all the other veggies. I usually plant too much, but that allows me to give lots away and make other people happy.