Gardening: A Tradition Rooted in Family

Ever since I can remember, there has always been a large vegetable garden and dozens of planters at my grandma’s house in Merrill, Iowa.  Nestled thirty miles off of Interstate 29 in Northwest Iowa, Merrill, a town of 700 people, is in the heart of Plymouth County and is the heart of my childhood. As a child in that quiet little town, my summers were spent snapping green beans off the vine, digging up potatoes, and getting lost in the smells of perennials. Now 87, my grandma has traded in her rubber boots for rubber clogs and her 500+ square foot garden for a few pots in her front yard.

Unlike the glory days of my grandma’s garden, mine doesn’t require tillers, elaborate trellises, or homemade irrigation systems. My garden is small and tucked away in the corner of my backyard in a nice and neat raised bed. Also unlike my grandma, I plant only edible vegetables in my garden. I have read a lot about companion planting but I am just not ready to turn over portions of my garden to marigolds and lavender. My grandma would disagree with my decision and would use companion plants as a metaphor for life. She’d say something like, “We all need to watch out for one another, Beck. You’ve always got something to give and something to gain.” 

Continuing the Tradition

Gardening has been a meaningful family connection for me. It is a chance to soak in the sunshine and get busy with my hands. I gardened as a newlywed prior to children. It was gardening that taught me my first lessons in nurturing and responsibility. It has developed a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. For me, there are few things more satisfying than watching a seedling grow, mature, and produce vegetables that then feed my family. 

We eat some of the vegetables right away and others we can or freeze.  We get to enjoy the tastes of summer all year round which is a fun reminder of the work we put in as a family. When the days become cooler and the garden is no longer in bloom, the boys love to play in the dirt with their trucks and shovels. Having a garden truly is a gift that keeps on giving. 

In early spring I begin to chart out the next year’s planting strategy.  I look at my journal from the year before. I keep copious notes on when and what I planted, when we had our first harvest, and the yield for the year. This helps me to not make the same mistake twice. It also gives me an estimate of when to expect our first crop, or what I refer to as, when to avoid going on vacation. Typically, we plant only enough vegetables for our family of four to eat in one season with a few jars of salsa in the freezer. Some day I hope be able to plant and tend to a garden that will produce enough vegetables to share with friends and family. 

Fostering Family Connections 

In recent years, gardening has become a family affair. My boys love to look for the ripe vegetables among the vines and leaves. They often sneak a bite out of the cucumbers before they make it into the bucket. We fill up our watering cans and make multiple trips from the spigot to the garden, splashing water on our feet as we walk. For me, this is all part of the appeal of gardening. It is meaningful time spent with my kids, exercising our bodies and our minds. There is great joy in watching their faces light up when they find a rouge ripe tomato hidden among the greenery. Or even better when they rescue a green one that fell to the ground prematurely by placing it on the patio table to soak in a few more days of sun. 

Gardening is a great seasonal activity to share with your children. It promotes optimism, wonder, and patience. It encourages discovery through active learning and stimulates children’s inquisitive minds. At a young age it created a steadfast way of bonding with my grandma and my cousins. Today it is a reminder to slow down, unplug, and connect with my own kids.