Working in the garden growing up wasn't my favorite thing to do, as my brother and I had to help my Dad in the hot sun planting, hoeing and weeding. But once it started producing, it was fun taking a salt shaker out, pulling off a tomato and biting off a warm salty taste. Of course the tomato juice ran down our arms and shirt, but it was worth it.
Once I became an adult, I tried to plant a garden, usually only a few plants like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, cantaloupes and watermelons; just one or two of each. Nothing spectacular, just enough for me and my daughter. Eventually, work and where I lived made it impossible to plant and grow a garden.
October 2017 I moved from Alabama to Oklahoma, being retired I decided to plant a container garden in 2018. I gathered all the empty containers Jennifer, my daughter, had and proceeded to plan what I wanted to plant.
The first hurtle was dirt. In Alabama, rain made the dirt soft and undergrowth rotting made it fertile, but Oklahoma dirt is hard and red; so I had to buy bagged dirt. Being used to Alabama rain I didn't water enough. Needless to say, my first Oklahoma garden was a disaster. That's when I discovered Oklahoma wind and heat. Did you know tomatoes won't produce if it's too hot and dry?
I can't remember where I saw that Oklahoma State University (OSU) had an Extension center in Guthrie and that the center was offering a 3 or 4 month course to become a Master Gardener; at a low cost. I signed up for it quickly! It was worth it! It's still trial and error, but I believe I'm making progress.
2 comments:
My late wife had insisted that we buy a home with a garden when we were on the look out to buy our first home and we finally did just that 30 years ago. She was passionate about gardening and she looked after ours for 19 years helped by a gardener. After her death, the gardener did what he felt was right as my physical limitations prevent my active participation. After my daughter in love moved in seven years ago, she took charge and now she has turned it into a pleasant place to observe and sit in.
Ramana Rajgopaul thanks for your comment. Like your wife, I love to garden, may not be the best, but it is so relaxing working in the dirt and improving my skills.
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