Is it Gardening Or Farming?

Friends joined us for James’ 34th birthday this past weekend and the topic of working in the soil produced a remark that I thought about today while planting tomato plants.  When I said that James and I had spent several hours getting our two large plots prepared for gardening, one of our friends asked what we were growing.  I said vegetables, and he then remarked that we were not gardening, but were really farming.  I was soon to learn that he saw gardening as growing flowers, and my tomatoes and Swiss chard was not quite the same. 

His flowers make a most remarkable and homey site on his block.  With his house on a corner it is impossible not to look at his plants no matter what direction you are headed, and smile at the color and blooms that he cares for.  But then my buckets of fresh tomatoes look spectacular too…and we have a fair amount of flowers including a new yellow lilac bush in our yard.  Who knew they came in yellow?!

So whatever you call planting all can agree that the past ten days has been the tonic for all of us who have experienced a very long winter.  There is a certain bounce in a person’s walk as they head to the garden, or ‘farm field’, while the sun shines and the bird songs welcome back the warm weather.  While I love the snow I admit to having dreams during the winter about butter running down my chin while eating corn on the cob, biting into crispy radishes, and harvesting fresh kohlrabi.

There is something very peaceful and serene about the act of gardening.  A bit of faith goes into each fistful of dirt that we pack around the roots of a plant.  We pray that enough sun will shine, but not so much that it wilts the new shoots.  We hope that the seeds sprout in the row where we sowed them, and not be washed away from a wild rainstorm.  So much of what we do in the garden is a gamble.  And yet every year we return for another season to grow at least one tomato or sunflower that is larger and more perfect than last summer. 

James and I have both of our plots within a few walking blocks from our home, and today put the first batch of 60 plants into the soil.  Cabbages, broccoli, herbs, and 25 tomato plants are now a part of spring 2007.  We will plant corn, squash, (including the blue Hubbard that failed me last year) and varieties of lettuce, cauliflower, melons, and another grouping of tomatoes.  Two freezers in the basement will be filled with the summer bounty by the time the first frost lands on our doorstep this fall……….now I have gone too far by talking about that!

I do want to add what two young kids told me this weekend while at one of the gardens.  The small girls, aged 7 and 4, were with their Grandma planting seeds when they discovered that my mulching project looked much more interesting.  So over they came, and stayed.  I enjoy kids (as long as they go home with someone else) and so had a wonderful time as they announced I was their new friend.  I asked the oldest what her favorite vegetable was, and nearly laughed when she answered without missing a beat  “broccoli”.  Then with perfect timing the younger girl let it be known that zucchini was her fave.  I would have been totally wondering if these were indeed real kids, but then I saw the dried ice cream and dirt on their faces and chalked it all up to good parenting.    As I left the garden I promised their Grandma the recipe for zucchini cake with chocolate chips.  The girls smiled….yup they were real kids!

Gardening is so sweet and the season has just started!