Social Distancing in a Garden

My daughter, Jesslyn, the one that's a freelance writer, announced today we have to plant a garden. Jessie has never asked to have a garden. She and Brian have attempted to raise a couple of tomatoes in a raised bed, but nothing like a GARDEN. I wondered if this had to do with a writing assignment she's gotten. No, this was her attempt to deal with Covid 19...long term. She always wanted to learn to garden, and I was the vehicle to success. Flattery will get you everywhere.

My reaction to her suggestion was after 70 years of gardening... I don need to plant no stinkin garden.

She said that my summer plans were changed. I was not going anywhere this summer cause the Covid 19 is gonna' keep me grounded on the farm all summer. No festivals, no leisurely trips to West Virginia where it's cool so why not show your daughter how to grow a garden?  

Her research showed things are gonna get rough out there. She thinks we all need to plant a garden to insure we have good food to eat. Sounds like an idealistic me in the 70's in West Virginia; mister self sufficiency on a mountain top. 

I said I would take her suggestion under consideration, but not seriously.

I cogitated and ruminated on her suggestion for a week. The answer came when I heard from a friend that  South Georgia farmers who grow strawberries and blueberries weren't sure they were gonna' get pickers for the VERY time sensitive crop. Coronavirus and closed borders, travel bans limited migrant workers, so not enough hands to harvest... OK, I give up.

Two years ago I took my quarter acre garden fence down...to keep me from planting a garden. There was a time some 5 years ago Janice and I grew, canned, froze and gave away a big garden, I even started a garlic farm, and grew 40 000 bulbs of garlic a year.

 We were both worn out with it. I was not getting younger.  I felt I had to break the cycle. I loved watching it grow. I was not doing the garden justice, I didn't have the energy to maintain the pace and I couldn't afford to play help... and I damn sure wasn't making minimum wage! What was I thinking? So I quit. Best thing I ever did. As Kenny Rogers said, bless him, you got to know when to fold 'em.

Janice and I had Georgia Mudcat Pottery in production mode back then. Business was brisk. Pottery doesn't happen overnight; it's a process, like gardens. We always seemed to be gone when the garden really needed attention.  Others picked it, I worked it. I really didn't mind giving it away, but I was embarrassed to have anyone see my garden the way it was. Bugs and weeds loved it.

Now, my dear sweet little 40 something Jessie wants to learn to play in the dirt. A noble endeavor at any age. I'll help make this work for them. I have a tractor, the land, the manure, the fencing, everything to keep a home grown tomato happy. Sigh...here we go again.

Me and John Deere plowed and rototilled yesterday. I'll put manure on it today, and wait for some rain before plowing it in. Jessie and Brian will build the fence around her 30 x30 piece of paradise, and they'll be ready to plant. Providing they can make the drive out here with shelter in place rules and 6 to 6 curfew in Georgia. She can always say she is taking care of her aged father...and any help is appreciated!

I'll offer advice. She and Brian will do the work. I'm starting to feel like Tom Sawyer. I've already bought several Celebrity tomatoes for them to plant, I guess that's fair...a few tomatoes for my efforts? Got to get the tomatoes cages out of the honeysuckle. Last frost date is April 9th. 

Oh, one more thing she'll have to learn. Locals never leave their window down when going anywhere; church, shopping, or out to eat. Folks roll up their windows because if they don't the back seat will be full of Zucchini when come back. No one never, ever leaves a tomato. They're precious.