My Garden

I'll admit it, I got into gardening for all the wrong reasons.

I think I started because I thought that it was just something I should do- don't all good mothers have a garden?  I started out small, and had some success.  So I made big plans for the next year; which completely fizzled out because I had a baby, therefore no time to garden. 

It was better the next year, Lou was bigger and it was a perfect excuse to get outside and spend some time digging in the dirt, developmentally her favorite thing to do.  But I still had more garden than I could manage and by the end of the summer I had given up trying to pull the weeds that were literally growing like weeds and refused to stay under control.  Although it was overwhelming, it was worth it when I could finally cook with the things I had grown which is what brought me back the next year.  Lou loves tomatoes, picking them when ripe and eating them in the sun; she has no idea that kids aren't supposed to like them, she just knows that it's cool that she can finally eat something she found outside.  Isn't that a good enough reason to have a garden? 

And now I've gotten to a point where, although I'm always expanding, I have an established garden.  I have perennials that come back each year to get me excited for the explosion of color; to help me forget how much work it's going to be.

But I no longer loathe garden work.  I actually enjoy kneeling in the dirt and pulling out weeds, one by one.  Plus, there are few things as satisfying as finally sitting down to admire a newly weed-free garden.  I couldn't care less anymore when I accidentally unearth a worm.  Maybe these years in the garden have made me immune to them, or maybe I'm more confident in the protection of my garden gloves that become more of a body part than an item of clothing over the summer.  I can't wait for the first bloom, the first blossom that tells me I'll be getting a pepper soon, the first tomato that begins to turn from green to red...

Plus, I've got a lot of help these days.  Lou digs holes for the plants and loves adding the new black dirt.  She's an expert at watering, or more aptly, drowning the plants, and is always willing to pick some basil for dinner.  My garden is something I do for me, but it's also a source of food for my family, a way to spend time with my daughter outside, and a great bonding experience with the Hens who are always eager to gobble up any bugs we uncover. 

I may have started out on the wrong path, but I have nothing but pure intentions for my garden these days.