I love, love, LOVE fresh garden produce! But I really don’t have time to grow a large garden. That confession is really difficult for me. You see, my grandma was a committed gardener. My mom is an excellent gardener and I’m pretty mediocre! The previous two generations relied on garden produce to feed their families, but I have a really good supermarket just a short drive away. (well, my grocery store is 30 miles away, but realistically, that is a half hour drive and that is no big deal!)
My grandma and mom both canned and froze vegetables and fed their family from the garden every night in the summer. My favorites are homegrown tomatoes–the beefsteak variety are what I crave– and I love green beans, fresh beets and lettuce and spinach. Other things are just because they are easy.
I don’t really waste my time on growing things that I can get in my grocery store in good quality. You know, there are a lot of things I could grow, but I choose to use my time differently. The grocery store has good quality, fresh produce and I trust them to provide nutritious, safe food. Enough said.
My latest brainstorm is to use containers to create a raised garden. I have used these old water tanks for years and I love them! I can fit three beefsteak tomato plants in this old tank.
Another tank holds green beans, beets and I planted a few onions in the center. I usually don’t grow onions–they are good and inexpensive in the store. But I needed something growing in the middle of this 8-foot tank to keep the weeds down!
The Kansas wind is causing some problems with this container of green peppers. I grow peppers only because they go well with tomatoes–and often when I’m snacking on a fresh still-warm-from-the-sun tomato, a green pepper really compliments the taste!
So these days, I start my morning with a cup of coffee in hand, watering my containers and pulling a weed or two, while listening to the purple martins calling and chattering to each other. That is a post in itself–my grandma loved purple martins! I do too, and as I enjoy my garden and the birds in the morning in the spring, I think of my grandma and the heritage she bestowed on us–to love digging in the dirt, growing delicious vegetables and being proud of what we produce!
