Gettin' Dirty!

Who knew this once-couch-potato-slash-computer-nerd had a green thumb hidden on his hand? Being raised in fairly rural South Carolina, gardening is something that has always surrounded me. I loved eating "Pon's corn" (corn out of my grandma's garden). In more recent years, my mom started planting veggies in her backyard. And now, at 25 years old, I'm trying my hand (thumb?) at it. If you read my previous discourse on food, you'll note that becoming a locavore is something that interests me greatly. (Update: I've decided I don't ever need to by meat from the grocery store again. Local, animal-friendly only, please.) So, when the City of Columbia created community gardens--a collection of small, raised plots in some open space in the city--I knew I had to lease me one. I mean...$20 for the year! They put some soil in there, and they have water out there for us to use. Soon, we will hopefully be getting a fence to help deter anyone from taking any of my tomatoes that are just about ripe.

So, as soon as the plots became available in April, I was out in the dirt. I first tilled the soil well and added some mushroom compost. (No chemicals in my garden, please!) I then planted tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, broccoli, and cucumbers. I later added some squash. It was so neat watching the little seedlings that had started out so small turn into larger plants. I mean, God is awesome how He designed plants. We humans must feed ourselves with outside food. Plants are so cool that they get to make their own food out of soil (and its nutrients), water, air, and sunshine.

As my plants grew, I rejoiced at seeing the first few blossoms on my plants. First were the cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. When flowers come, then comes the sexy time! ;) God, in His awesome creativity, designed plants to create fruit after the coming together of the male and female parts of the plants. (Remember that from 10th grade biology?) Sometimes it's just the wind that does it...and (to steal an illustration from Barbara Kingsolver, whom I will you tell you all about in a later blog) sometimes the plants invite a third party in to help them--bees! (A literal part of the birds and the bees?) I was out with my arm deep in one of my tomato plants when I watched a bumblebee come land on the brilliant purple flower of my Ichiban eggplants and then to another. I watched in awe as I may have witnessed the process of creating one of the eggplants that is/was growing on the plant. And this process happens all the time! God is so creative, how He has a purpose for everything great and small!

Now, not everything is fine and dandy in the garden. I started with six squash plants...now I'm down to one, and there's no guarantee for this guy. I was unfortunately lucky enough to get a case of the squash bugs and the squash vine borers. I managed to get one early squash harvested, but the rest is history. Spiritual life application (as my mom says many of her sermons would come from the garden were she a preacher): Watch out for predators! They're everywhere! And sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to squish them! I've had to squish squash bugs, smash vine borer larvae, and mash broccoli-leaf-eating caterpillars between their lunch leaves. But it's all part of the process of growth. You have to kill some things in order to make growth happen. I hated uprooting entire squash plants because of one larva, but it had to be done. Were I to leave it, valuable nutrients from the soil would go towards feeding the pest and a plant that would never yield fruit.

I'll never forget when I showed up and found my first fruit on the vine. It was a cucumber. Then, I noticed an eggplant. My sister-in-law Christy spotted my first tomatoes. I felt like I was becoming a father! (I'm sure the actual process of expecting a child will be infinitely more joyful.) Now, it became my duty to help raise them. I've kept out the weeds. I've fed the soil with some chicken manure, and have even buried some kitchen scraps in the soil, which have now entirely decomposed. I've sprayed some natural substances to help with the insects (different essential oils and Dr. Bronner's soap).

Once the fruits grow, I get the joy of picking them and eating them at home! I'm glad my wife loves cucumbers, because we sure do have a mess of them! I'm glad I like eggplant, because we've had our share of those, too! Peppers are just now getting big enough, I have one red tomato that I'll pick soon, and I have so many other tomatoes on the vine waiting for their chance to shine. Broccoli FINALLY started coming in this week...I may have planted too late...but we'll see. My lettuce is done, and it somehow has managed to survive the heat of Columbia and has reached flowering stage. (What? Lettuce flowers? Yup! I didn't know it either! More to come on lettuce in a future post.) Like I said, my squash is gone, but I have a couple of okra plants, some young watermelon seedlings, and some cilantro coming up.

I've learned a lot just from experience, talking with my mom/grandma, reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and researching the Internet. I've learned about how to harvest, why mulching is important, soil pH levels, how to naturally tend a garden, and a plethora of other things!

I think I'm going to start a series of posts getting people to think about and appreciate their food, instead of mercilessly shoving food in their pie holes in the all-too-short lunch break their employer grants them. Since when did lunch stop being about the food and become about convenience? Slow down, breathe, and appreciate the yummy tomato sandwich. (But only eat that in July or August during tomato season. ;))