Our first try at gardening was 25 years ago, after we bought our first home, just after Katie was born. We grew a handful of vegetables in small amounts. We got a fistful of green beans and far more squash and zucchini than we could ever eat. Then we moved, and that was the end of our garden until we moved again, to the place we now call Dirty Dog Farm.
The raised beds that came with the house were a start, but they were falling apart and needed some inspiration. This fall I put the tractor to work tearing out the old beds and building new ones with some sense of design.
We arranged them as two C’s facing each other, with a trellis arch in each opening. Each half is 100 square feet, far more than we’ve ever had.
We’re planting garlic now, and it’ll take up half a bed. Next year tomatoes will be in the mix, of course, along with cucumbers, green beans, and some squash and zucchini. Maybe carrots and peppers, and some onions. Who knows.
The garden has always been Deane’s hobby, and the truth is we get different things out of it. My urge to go bigger can’t be allowed to suck the joy out of what she wants: a low-maintenance garden oasis, which is really what we built. I love that Deane loves her new oasis, and I pray it brings her many years of quiet contemplation and peaceful solitude while still adding to the family pantry. I think it will always be a balance we have to strike.