This is the middle stages of our garden. When you could actually see rows of things. As it stands right now, the zucchini have blossomed into giant green forests, the pumpkins have threatened to take over the entire garden, literally crawling feet everyday. Ironically, we have 2 pumpkin plants and one giant pumpkin on each. One for each kid. The tomato plants have become 3 foot high bushes with more green bulbs than Christmas trees. I hope the weather will just keep warm enough a little longer so they can ripen. We harvested enough beans to get us most of the way through the winter. I hadn't expected much from our fortress because although we brought in topsoil and fertilized, the fact is, the ground in Herriman is a very fine combination of rock and clay and not to mention being overrun by grasshoppers.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the abundance and variety of veggies. But it's not just the fresh, organic vegetables I am serving at the table, it's the "everything" that has come with it. The kids outside with their eyes aglow looking for the first sprigs, helping me weed, checking the plants, learning when to pick and ultimately tasting the fruits of our labor. The best is always right off plant, dirt and all. Often times, the sour face and "yuck" are enough to make me giggle.
Of course a certain amount of satisfaction comes from a fruitful garden and a beautiful yard but even more than that, it's been a place of solitude for me. A place to reflect, to think, or sometimes just NOT think. But the very best part for me is, bringing back loving memories of my grandpa. As an engineer, everything in his garden was perfect and I don't ever remember seeing a single weed, perhaps because he was always working out there. He was so animated and excited when we started gardening at our home in Sandy and I could always count on him to help me with a bug problem or tell me some new method he'd come up with. Reminiscing about it always brings warmth and a broad warm smile to my face. So, even though the season is not over, it has already been successful enough to anticipate the adjustments I am planning for next year.
