Gardening

I miss my vegetable garden. I miss the therapy of digging in the dirt. The satisfaction of watching the plants grow from seeds or seedlings to producing food and the sweet taste of that fresh harvest.

We had a huge garden when we lived in our house. I stayed home with the kids. To save money, I cooked from scratch, sewed the kids’ clothes or thrift shopped, and planted a garden. I froze beans, carrots, peas, corn, beets, and tomato sauce for years. The potatoes went into the dirt and stone basement. I made pickles from cucumbers and braided onions to store for the winter.

I miss all that. Well, maybe not the freezing part, that was a lot of work. However, the vegetables supplied us all year long, especially the beans, they always grew the best. The pumpkins were also a bonus, and some years they even supplied our friends.

There’s something special about growing your own food. Doing the work of preparing the soil and planting the seeds. Watering, weeding, and fertilizing. Learning when and how to plant what vegetables. To watch the progress of the plants in their different cycles and the challenges they presented. It was so therapeutic to go out and weed, creating order from the chaos of the unruly, untamable weeds. I loved it.

I miss it now that I live in an apartment. I do plant flowers and enjoy that beauty, but it’s not the same as feeding yourself. That’s why I’m grateful for those who still do. Veggie stands pop up during the summer, selling or giving away their excess efforts. Jamestown has several great permanent farm stands that showcase locally grown produce, which is a real blessing to people like me. Different localities, including Jamestown, have Farmer’s Markets at least once a week where local vendors get together to sell their fruit, vegetables and other wares. I’m grateful for these places. They keep that homegrown goodness alive for people like me.