First Garden, nearly 50 years ago

[digitS']

I hardly believe that I came across this. Scanned the old black & white photo . . . My other gardening was always on my parents farm. This time, it was all under my direction .

I remember that I had the idea that I could build a very low, very wide compost pile with the sod that I removed. That was the purpose of the little frame. The idea was that the ground there would be used the next year and I'd just continue expanding the garden like that . . . Of course, it didn't work and the grass just continued to grow until I had it piled up proper.

That's my buddy Terry on the right. I was already using a garden tool as a cane to walk around the garden. In that and all other ways, I'm still the same guy.

Steve

 

[lesa]

What a treasure! How cool that you found that...full of good ideas even then! You've developed the idea into burying your compost right in the garden. I have started purchasing old garden photos when I find them. There is something so charming about seeing someone standing proudly in there garden. I have a couple black and whites now- they really appeal to me....

 

[baymule]

Old pictures are like old friends. The memories they revive from the back of our minds! What a find!

 

[digitS']

Well, I was feeling a little Melon Collie until I found this!

Actually, I could find a picture of my Border Collie, too! I'm a little surprised that she wasn't back there with me. She was off the Oregon farm and getting old. It wouldn't be long before she "adopted" the little kindergarten boy, Jay-Jay, who used to walk by, to & from school.

She decided that she would rather live with a kindergartener instead of in my back yard. ~ sniff ~ Well, I'd had her for a good 7 years by then and wasn't a kid any more. She loved children.

Young Guy

 

[thistlebloom]

Great picture Steve. What a lot of memories that stirred up, yeah?
My mom has some old ones of when she was about knee high standing with my great grandma in her flower garden.
My great grandma had a tough life trying to make a living on a dry farm. She sure loved her flowers.

See? Your picture stirred some of my memories too. Thank you for that.

 

[journey11]

What a cool pic and story. Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Southern Gardener]

What a great find, Steve! I love old photos, even if they are not mine.

 

[Jared77]

Very cool thank you for sharing

 

[ninnymary]

Steve, you were as skinny as a string bean! Old pictures are priceless, take good care of that one.

Mary

 

[digitS']

Ha! I'd still like to be a little closer to that weight!

I suppose I won't be down there at 170# or less, anytime soon. The best I seem to be able to do is to try to hold it at 200#. Dang, you caught me eating another roll, Mary . . . I think it really helps me to, at least, try to set boundaries - like, I won't be eating for 4 hours after a meal. I set that rule aside during the summer but I do, at least, notice when I violate that rule now .

This picture was in with photo's of my brother when he was a toddler . . . DW put things together, the only excuse for it! She may have thought my brother was the observer but Terry's a little taller than Bro' & me.

I can only remember a few things that this garden produced. Believe it or not, I actually had dahlias elsewhere but - they didn't come up! Or, they came up and I ran over them with the lawnmower of something. It's hard to remember what was planted in the veggie garden but it was a tremendous success if you like greenbeans and turnips! I don't like turnips and don't know why I grew them so often during the early years. May never have tried the greens and that why I stopped growing turnips. That and not wanting to eat the roots . The pole beans went up & down & up & down the little fence I set up for them. The only reason they did well was that I must not have planted many seeds - I sure didn't give them much vertical space. We live & learn . . .

Steve