Gardening At Last

I wasn’t the best eater as a kiddo. I was one of those typical picky kids who preferred a hamburger happy meal (plain!) to a home cooked meal any day.  And forget about vegetables (except corn, especially creamed corn from a can... insert regretful sigh here.)
   But despite my younger self’s aversion to all things green, I do have very pleasant memories of gardens. I had no interest in eating the fresh grown green beans, tomatoes and peppers from my step mom’s garden, but I loved helping pick the ripened vegetables. I remember going out in the backyard and searching for red tomatoes or the right sized banana pepper and getting the green light to pick... And then there was the garden at my grandma and grandpa’s. It was so big- at least that’s how I remember it. The squash and zucchini sprawled, the aluminum pie pans swayed in the wind keeping the birds away, the rows of grape vine trellises  provided a perfect place for cousins to run… Gardens were a great place to play even if I refused to eat a thing from them.
  Eventually I did grow up and eat my veggies and even started enjoying them- especially once I really got into cooking. I usually make do with the produce from the super market, but of course I recognize the superior taste of the bounty from co-workers gardens and farmers markets. After all, I'm pretty sure heaven is a fresh sliced red tomato with a little salt and pepper. Throw in some mozzarella and basil, or bacon and avocado, and I’m yours.
  Since becoming homeowners we’ve dabbled in home gardening, with limited success. We’ve had gardens demolished by hail, by a golden retriever who I’m pretty sure thought tomato plants simply produced juicy, squishy tennis balls just for him, and a simple lack of commitment on our part. Who wants to weed in the hot sun with bugs and the unsavory, unmistakable smell of a dog owner’s backyard?? When, let’s face it, you could be inside watching an X-Files marathon? But then you think about those two cherry tomatoes that survived that one year and how sweet and absolutely delicious they were… Quite the conundrum.
  But with a two year old my days spent cleaning the house with David Duchovny are on an indefinite hiatus and I would like Layla to perhaps avoid the picky eater syndrome or at least have great garden memories as I do. And so it is that this year I’m jumping in with both feet. Finally fully committing to my two raised garden beds in the hopes of producing fresh veggies for my family to enjoy and, who knows, maybe even having so much success I get to bring some in for the co-workers or drop some off at Laramie County Food Bank.
  But let’s not get too crazy- it is only day one, but so far so good.