As soon as one of the fall, winter and spring snowfalls began to melt, the other person in the household began plotting.
He drew lines on sheets of paper and made markings that any seasoned explorer of centuries gone by would not have been able to navigate. Who knows where Christopher Columbus might have landed if his map had had such markings.
But to Housemate, those lines and marks meant exactly where the potatoes would be planted, how many tomato plants could be accommodated in the space allotted for them, and even how many pea seeds per row he would have to soak before poking them in the ground.
Naturally, there were some adjustments made to the initials drawings, but one thing about the plan was clear: the annual vegetable garden would be planted again this year in the back yard.
Our first garden back there was planted in 1978, the year we moved to our current address. That garden was planted in mid-June based on the occupation date of our purchase. Amazingly, that garden yielded vegetables that kept three households fed up for winter and was the benchmark year for abundance.
The tomato plants, found at an East side corner store, were full grown, with stalks like mini trees when they went into the garden soil. No wonder a neighbour lady, one early morning, told us with excitement that we had a large, ripe tomato on one of the vines. She was indeed the neighbourhood watch while she lived on our block.
When our crop-sharing friends moved away and the Parents couldn’t handle the chores that went along with a full-sized back yard garden, we down-sized to a more manageable space and still we were able to eat fresh and frozen home-grown vegetables for several months following the gardening season.
After Housemate’s official retirement, he had more time to devote to his horticultural pursuits and a bit of the grass once again was appropriated for garden space. And then a few more inches seemed to be added each year as ambitions grew.
A sour cherry tree took up residence a few years back and the harvest has grown each year, despite the birds’ discovery of the fruit. A dwarf apple tree joined the orchard this spring. Four stand-up garden boxes for vegetables and another for flowers now have a place in the garden.
With my consistent black thumb and back problems, I have become a mere bystander in most of the agricultural activities in our yard. That’s absolutely fine with me and I am happy to pick the beans and enjoy the vine-ripened tomatoes. I collect the peas but can’t enjoy them raw because of allergies but wow, do they taste better than wonderful when cooked and served with tiny potatoes from our own patch.
We’ve gone away from corn and pumpkins but I think a home-grown watermelon would be the icing on the cake for Housemate’s harvest.
In just a few days, the seeds and bedding out plants will be in the ground and in the boxes. My contribution thus far has been in providing transportation for the bags of dirt and potting soil.
I have been diligent in ensuring the bags are removed within minutes of purchase. Last year, several bags were loaded on a hot day and left in my vehicle overnight. I’m sure pedestrians could smell my vehicle’s approach from several blocks away.
A coconut-based mosquito repellent sprinkled generously throughout the vehicle eventually removed the feedlot odour. The mosquitoes stayed out of the SUV too.
Now let the growing begin, and may the strawberry plants bear fruit this year and beyond.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
