I created a great garden space at my Idaho home but it was never the abundance I had hoped for. Too short if a season and too frequent freezing nights when I failed to cover the tomatoes. For the money I poured into my effort, I could have eaten heirloom tomatoes every day ftom the farmers market for ten years. Still, there’s nothing quite like your hands in the soil, praying.
My parents do well in northwestern Montana, but they benefit from a south-facing slope that seems to be in the thermal belt of the mountain. They often get frosts two weeks later than people who live lower on the same slope. Idaho is interesting country. When I was a wilderness ranger, I often marveled at the abrupt transitions between biomes. The north side of a ridgeline could be mossy forest and the south side would be desert-like. I suppose another word for that is ecotone?
I do think gardening presents a different way of thinking about home. A serious garden makes it difficult to take long vacations during the growing season. Kingsolver wrote about this as a tradeoff during her family's year of eating locally. If I were a single person, that would not bother me in the slightest, as I tend toward the hermetic. Life with kids is a little more complicated. Even so, I like the notion that building my fence is investing in the future. The fence should last at least 10-15 years. I don't know if the produce will have paid for the lumber by then, but I do know that building the garden is an expression of hope, which is not unlike a prayer: let me still be here tending this ground a decade from now.
Growing up in Western North Carolina, gardening (and working/labouring outside - chopping wood, pulling weeds, raking mountains and mountains of leaves...) was part of the package one received when living there. And as a kid, it wasn’t always appreciated. Since I moved to England, my wife - a very keen gardener - has provided me with a completely new perspective. Whether it’s growing vegetables and fruit or shrubs and wildflowers, I’ve taken to it in a way I’d never have expected before. And the comparison of the experience to religion is apt. I’m an atheist with a deep interest in existentialist and Buddhist philosophy - and I’ve found nothing more grounding than prepping the soil, planting the seeds, tending the plants and - hopefully (this is climate change England, after all) harvesting dinner. I only wish my younger self had seen this - I might have grumbled less. But, then, I would have just grumbled about something else!
Oct 11, 2022·edited Oct 11, 2022Liked by Joshua Doležal
My 3rd career was farming. Raspberries and small fruit, herbs. We took what we grew to farmer’s markets. One of our favorite sayings was “there’s always next year”. If you haven’t read anything by Joel Salatin, his books are fun in addition to the seed catalogues.
Yes. I’ve read those guys as well. Masumoto - I can’t get into California peaches, my dad grew the best peaches, so I’m a bit of a peach snob. I’ve never seen Ron Finley’s TED talk. I searched to see who he was - we had a guy at our farmer’s markets who is doing something similar for local urban kids. Many have no idea where food comes from.
I have been waiting to come around to gardening. I too was asked to tend to the garden or pick wild raspberries and blueberries in the mountains of Slovakia one too many times as a kid. Maybe one day...
I created a great garden space at my Idaho home but it was never the abundance I had hoped for. Too short if a season and too frequent freezing nights when I failed to cover the tomatoes. For the money I poured into my effort, I could have eaten heirloom tomatoes every day ftom the farmers market for ten years. Still, there’s nothing quite like your hands in the soil, praying.
My parents do well in northwestern Montana, but they benefit from a south-facing slope that seems to be in the thermal belt of the mountain. They often get frosts two weeks later than people who live lower on the same slope. Idaho is interesting country. When I was a wilderness ranger, I often marveled at the abrupt transitions between biomes. The north side of a ridgeline could be mossy forest and the south side would be desert-like. I suppose another word for that is ecotone?
I do think gardening presents a different way of thinking about home. A serious garden makes it difficult to take long vacations during the growing season. Kingsolver wrote about this as a tradeoff during her family's year of eating locally. If I were a single person, that would not bother me in the slightest, as I tend toward the hermetic. Life with kids is a little more complicated. Even so, I like the notion that building my fence is investing in the future. The fence should last at least 10-15 years. I don't know if the produce will have paid for the lumber by then, but I do know that building the garden is an expression of hope, which is not unlike a prayer: let me still be here tending this ground a decade from now.
Growing up in Western North Carolina, gardening (and working/labouring outside - chopping wood, pulling weeds, raking mountains and mountains of leaves...) was part of the package one received when living there. And as a kid, it wasn’t always appreciated. Since I moved to England, my wife - a very keen gardener - has provided me with a completely new perspective. Whether it’s growing vegetables and fruit or shrubs and wildflowers, I’ve taken to it in a way I’d never have expected before. And the comparison of the experience to religion is apt. I’m an atheist with a deep interest in existentialist and Buddhist philosophy - and I’ve found nothing more grounding than prepping the soil, planting the seeds, tending the plants and - hopefully (this is climate change England, after all) harvesting dinner. I only wish my younger self had seen this - I might have grumbled less. But, then, I would have just grumbled about something else!
When we live in living soil, our harvest is abundant life, appreciation, gratitude, affection. Your children fit right into your garden. Great photos!
My 3rd career was farming. Raspberries and small fruit, herbs. We took what we grew to farmer’s markets. One of our favorite sayings was “there’s always next year”. If you haven’t read anything by Joel Salatin, his books are fun in addition to the seed catalogues.
Yes, Salatin is a fun read. Pollan, Carpenter, and Masumoto, too! Maybe you’ve seen Ron Finley’s TED Talk?
Yes. I’ve read those guys as well. Masumoto - I can’t get into California peaches, my dad grew the best peaches, so I’m a bit of a peach snob. I’ve never seen Ron Finley’s TED talk. I searched to see who he was - we had a guy at our farmer’s markets who is doing something similar for local urban kids. Many have no idea where food comes from.
I have been waiting to come around to gardening. I too was asked to tend to the garden or pick wild raspberries and blueberries in the mountains of Slovakia one too many times as a kid. Maybe one day...
It’s different when it’s your garden! If you want some ideas, let me know 😊