20 Years, in One Garden

[digitS']

It stopped raining. The frost is melting where the morning sun shines on it. I am thinking that the afternoon temperatures will allow me to leave seedlings in the greenhouse and to travel over to a garden I've had for the last twenty years.

My gardening buddy when I arrived there has died. His wife has died. Both passed away after my last gardening season ended. They owned a rental home with a detached garage on 4 lots. I have gardens on about 1 lot - flowers and salad vegetables.

They were retired school teachers and he quit gardening about 5 years after I arrived. I wish he hadn't. But, he was nearly 80 by then.

Tomorrow is spring. It's time to get the dead nettle under control and I will be able to see how the volunteer orach is doing. Hopefully, I can finish whatever cultivation was left undone from the fall, before the chickweed blooms.

It takes a long time to grow a garden. It's a lot of hands-on, for me. Not just a couple digitS' on the pulse of the thing, I guess . . . I don't believe I ever thought it should be otherwise.

There surely are many ways to do something right in the world of gardening. I subscribe to the idea that there are a lot more ways to do something wrong.

We find a way, or we don't. Young gardeners need to have a clear vision. They have the energy and enthusiasm -- let's not kid ourselves about that. But, it usually takes 12 months to overcome a misstep. That's a long time in a young person's life. They will find a path, or they won't. It will not be all their triumph or failing.

Some folks are very dogmatic about gardening, life -- their culture, others. They are missing a lot.

Steve

"One can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways." ~ Edith Wharton

 

[ducks4you]

Well put. I see the same thing with "millenials" and all that they put their minds to. It's like my generation in our 20's, thinking we know it all, except the entitlement mentality and being raised with trophies for mundane accomplishment, they are on steroids.
My DD's were not raised this way. They were raised to work hard, and it started with the jobs they each got at 16yo to pay for their privilege to drive, (they paid for their own insurance.) Youngest DD is an Assistant State's Attorney in our county. One of her peers was employed as a judge's clerk, and summarily fired when the same clerk copied a picture from one of the court filed documents and posted it on FB.
MY DD, one month in, is getting praised by her co workers. She has worked for 12 years, and at 27yo she also managed a chain fabric store, hence experienced with life and she KNOWS how to work hard. She did well in Law School and passed the IL Bar the first time, something I understand doesn't but Should happen. She had 3 trails (traffic court), from cases that here predecessors began, beginning her 3rd week. Her co workers told her that isn't supposed to happen when you are brand new, BUT, she was applauded for handling them and NOT COMPLAINING!!!
She is known to listen well and say few words. She keeps her opinions to herself and shares complaints with her family and the four walls in the room of the house. (I doubt the dogs or cat would spill.)
I think it is a shame that a generation of Americans will be forced to learn too many life lessons the hard way bc their parents and teachers didn't have the common sense that God gave geese to raise them right.

 

[baymule]

20 years in the same garden! That's pretty impressive. Youngsters would have a hard time grasping that. I teach our grand daughter how to grow things every chance I get.

 

[Carol Dee]

Well said @digitS' and @ducks4you YEAH @baymule for teaching the Grandchildren, oh it is going to be fun living closer and have more space to garden and ride.