"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Gardening with my family - the payoff.

Earlier this year my husband and I decided to finally put our dream of raised beds and a picket fence for our front yard.  When he planned to take the same week off in February that our kids had off from school we figured it would be another mild week of our strange winter weather.  Up until then we'd had one short spell of unusually cold weather in November, followed by above normal temps. 

Then the week of planned garden renovation came and of course it snowed and was below freezing, turning what we knew would be a physically difficult job into an even more difficult job once the ground froze, the gravel pile froze and it was just too cold some days to do work.  But we knew that in the summer we'd be really glad that the hard part was done and we could then enjoy the fun part.

And we were right.  It was worth all that hard work just 6 months ago!  Now the payoff isn't only picking fresh vegetables, but the other things our family has gotten out of it. 

For example my hope that my husband would take on some of the vegetable garden chores so he could find some relaxation in standing and watering or pulling a few weeds (believe me, it can be relaxing).  I've seen him many times checking the garden, work bag still on his shoulder, before he's come in from his very long work day.  Last evening I looked up to see him grabbing a pair of garden scissors  from the front potting bench.  When I went out to see what he was up to, he told me he needed to cut the flowers of of the greens and lettuce so they didn't go to seed.  He said, "What's it called?  Bolting?"  Never did I think he would be that interested.  He's also been having a great time going out and picking chard and other greens to cook with.

Another great thing my oldest daughter said to me the other night was how it was fun to have a "job" that was going out and picking the green beans, patty pan squash and blueberries.  Her and her little sister laughed and were so excited as they found more and more to pick.  Much more fun that taking out the trash or cleaning your room I guess.

The garden is far from perfect, not quite everything went as planned.  I had hoped for more edible flowers, but not everything flourished as I hoped.  But I did get some pretty Dahlias, and they are as pretty as I thought they would look blooming among the greens.

We're still waiting for the tomatoes to turn red.  The Littlest Gardener occasionally will find a red cherry tomato and will feed it to me as I garden.  I've never been fed while weeding before!

I'm sure some would say the beds are overcrowded, but how could I say no to Sweet Pea when she went to the trouble of digging up the plants and bringing them home from school.  She started them in science class for a class garden.  She was very proud of the squash and tomato plants and they are all doing well.

Never would I have expected back when we started the garden project back in February, that Sweet Pea would use her Christmas Amazon.com gift card to buy 'Pumpkin Peppers' seeds.  She did that all on her own and was very excited to show me the seeds when they arrived.  Now the interesting ornamental peppers are starting to turn orange.

Something else interesting I've found, we'd never seen evidence of the garden fairies in the front yard before.  Now I've started finding signs of them this summer.  Guess they like the changes too.

Since we've finished our garden renovation we've also ended up with a whole other place to spend with each other and family and friends.  We've had many meals in our new eating space, as well as somewhere to just sit and talk.

So gardening in the front yard has had a better payoff than more gardening space for flowers and food.  It's taught us about new things, some we didn't even know we were interested in, a place for imagination and play and fun.  I hope you can find some of the same joys gardening with your family.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress. Pin It

29 comments:

  1. It's a work of art! I bet it's also a source of inspiration to your neighbors.

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  2. It was and IS an incredible transformation Catherine. I'm glad everyone is enjoying it so much. It really looks beautiful. I think I'd be out there all the time!

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  3. Catherine, it has been so inspiring to read about your families gardening journeys :) I very much appreciate how you've taken the time to share your stories and photo's with us! Cheers, Jenni

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  4. Great post Catherine! I just love when families find ways to garden together. It really is a lifetime payoff.

    Eileen

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  5. The family that gardens together stays together.

    I stumbled upon your blog by chance and would like to congratulate you on both garden and family.

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  6. I love everyone has enjoyed getting involved with your gardens. Personally, I love crowded beds. Congratulations on all the successes.

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  7. It's really fantastic how much your family is getting out of the garden and the 'gardening experience'! Your garden looks really fab.

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  8. I love it...this post just made my day! I love how involved...hell, EXCITED your family is with the new space! How could you ask for anything more! Seriously, it looks so great, but the best thing is the bond it is reinforcing with your family...all those great memories you're making.

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  9. This started my morning off on a beautiful, green high note.

    I could envision your sweet husband with his pack on his shoulder...your girlies, the faeries, dinner with friends. Now THAT is what gardening is all about.

    i thank you for this.

    Love,

    Sharon

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  10. How wonderful for your project to have such a positive impact on the whole family. I am tickled that you were fed cherry tomatoes while weeding...thought you were going to say that she was eating them....mine always ate the sugar peas and the cherry tomatoes before they got into the kitchen. Instilling a love of gardening to your children is really wonderful.
    I love the white picket fence and the setting for your eating area outside as well, great plan, great execution, great rewards!

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  11. Catherine, your new garden is amazing. I'm so glad it has brought joy to your whole family! :)

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  12. Wow! It looks so great! Is that a gigantic black eye susan I spy?

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  13. It is amazing to see how different your front garden looks now from the flowers beds to the garden. I have loved seeing the changes with the addition of raised beds, fence and arbors. I can tell you all are enjoying it too so all of that work has been worth it. You have a lot of green tomatoes growing on those vines.

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  14. Catherine, I think that it is so great that your whole family is that much involved in gardening now, even your husband! The front yard looks fabulous. I would love to sit in your new sitting area with a cup of tea and just enjoy it! You all did such a good job! Congratulations!
    Christina

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  15. I'm so glad to see your front raised beds doing so well! I know you had problems with the soil. I love that your whole family is so into gardening. And the image you put into my mind of your little one feeding you cherry tomatoes is priceless.

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  16. Dear Catherine ~ You took a lovely dream and turned it into beautiful reality. What a difference time makes! You all have a wonderful space to call yours and it is fantastic that you are all involved, having fun, and reaping rewards.

    I love that dahlia. It is stunning.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  17. Ya'll have such a sweet family. It's so refreshing to see a family enjoying gardening together. Your gardens feel the love and it shows.

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  18. Hi Catherine! It's so nice when garden becomes a place for the whole family! My boys like to show our garden to their friends.

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  19. What a great post, Catherine, it was really enjoyable to read. I could feel your surprise and enjoyment, right along with you and your family. So nice that your garden turned out so well, it looks wonderful. The other night my family ate out in the garden again; it was great, along with squirrels, robins, hummingbirds, our chickens, our dog and our new kitten. It is times with family that make it all worthwhile, isn't it?

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  20. It's definitely involves hard work and patience to create a garden as pretty as yours. And, congrats, it's time to celebrate the success. :)

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  21. This post about your experience with your family and gardening warms my heart. What a beautiful space and place to be, with friends and family.

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  22. Beautiful post, Catherine! I remember well how you conveyed through your blog the work that went in to your front yard redux last February. It was a joy to follow along on your progress, read about your hopes and dreams for this area. And here we are just a few short months later, realizing the dream. I'm so happy that this has made your family ties even stronger. Gardening at it's best! I bet your neighbors love it too.

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  23. Your family has truely taken on this project as a team. Love that your husband is out there with his work gear still in hand. And, your daughters are really involved. It looks great and is such an inspiration to get our front garden going.

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  24. I love the fence! Some day I hope we can add something similar to serve as veggie supports and garden decor. It was wonderful seeing you again for our SAGBUTT gathering. I misspoke about September 2012. It would be August ;)

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  25. I love how you started your post with the snow covered beginning! Made me appreciate the summer. I really enjoyed the tour! Everything looks so good. Funny how we go from anticipation to reality. Glad it was a family event.

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  26. Wow - it's come on beautifully - what a lovely addition to your home and garden.

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  27. Catherine, I'm just catching up with your blog more than a week after you wrote this, but the evocation of joy in this post was so strong that it brought tears to my eyes. Your garden, the loving family relationships you describe, and this post are all beautiful. -Jean

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