How does your garden grow?

So, here's the deal.  I grew up with a garden in my backyard.  My grandmother always had a garden....black eyed peas were always a favorite for picking.  And then of course my PawPaw (my favorite guy ever) had a big garden and always let me help "thump" the watermelons....(as if I knew what I was listening for when the sound arrived).

Gardening is a lost art if you ask me. 

Anyway, I decided this year I wanted to try my hand at growing my very own garden (something about getting close to 40 that makes you think long and hard about life).  I had dropped several hints about it for weeks.  Kept insisting that if gas prices was going to continue to rise and the economy was going to continue to fall....well, might as well grow us some food to feed my kids. 

Sure, everyone giggled and made snarky comments about this big idea. And just when I thought my words had fallen on deaf ears, that no one had been paying any attention to me and my plans.....I heard the familiar rumblings of a tractor outside.

My Daddy had been listening.  

So, he came and "broke" up the ground for my garden.  Then my sweet husband took me to buy seed packets and plants.  Now, I only have 6 rows in my garden but I was so excited when I made it to that seed display it was all I could do not to buy one of every packet imaginable! 

We all came home and planted my entire garden in a day. All the kids and their cousins were helping, Dad helped, T-5 helped.....it was fun. Sure it was work, but it was fun work. Good ol' get your hands dirty, sweat a little, feel like you might make a difference kind of fun work.

Again, I was so excited.  I actually had a garden.  I actually put seed in the ground (following my Daddy's careful instructions) and was hopeful it would show signs of life soon.  

And as usual, the skeptics gave their smirky smiles every time we talk about it. And the negative comments like....your garden is in a rocky patch of soil....you needed to cut those trees down, they're gonna give too much shade....you're on the one of the highest points in the county, sure your ground is gonna dry up faster.....they'll never survive, the deer will eat them....they'll never survive, the crow will eat it....they'll never survive, looks like rabbits will get them.....etc.etc.etc.  

But the jokes on them. Just look and see. 


I have zucchini.

I have butternut squash.

I have carrots.

And as my father pointed out today, I have cracks.  What?  Cracks?  That's right, I have cracks which are a sign that something else, like my okra or eggplant is about to burst through the ground any day now!!

And I have jumped for joy and already emailed several folks just this morning bragging about my rising stars from the garden.....corn and tomatoes.....there's no denying it.....I have a garden.

Now we just need to all come together and pray it survives.  You know from the heat and shade and dry rocky ground and forest critters and most importantly due to the ineptness of it's farmer. 

Because I need my garden to grow.

So I can laugh in the face of my nay-sayers when I offer them a basket of veggies from my freshly picked crop. :)