Lessons from the Garden

Gardening with my boys is a constant learning experience, and even as a former science teacher, I am in awe of the constant and varied lessons you can glean from the garden.  On any given day you can teach a biology lesson, perform an agricultural science demonstration, or execute a chemistry experiment.  The garden as a whole is a constant inspiration for environmental science and sustainability curricula, instilling an Aldo Leopold land ethic in even the youngest children.  Sharing our bounty with our neighbors and those less fortunate in our community imparts compassion, generosity, and social responsibility. And now, in a small way, the garden and our hard work will become a lesson in entrepreneurism and financial management.  After a long talk with Cole and Greyson, we have decided to  lay the groundwork to sell some of the fruits of our labor at the local farmers market, and maybe even our own roadside stand.  That's right, Mattamuskeet Momma is on its way to becoming a reality!

With a long summer stretching out ahead of us, and faced with the inevitable outcome of the boys getting on each others' nerves and then escalating into an all-out brawl, we discussed the need to have a focused "job" for the summer.  They have just come to understand the value of money, and furiously stash away any dollars they earn like industrious squirrels.  As it was a little late in the planting season to plant enough excess vegetables for regular trips to the Farmer's Markets, we decided this year we would start with pumpkins.  We studied the seed catalogs and decided  upon Connecticut Field Pumpkins, Lumina White Pumpkins, and Rouge Vif d'Etampes French Heirloom Pumpkins for our budding venture.  I told the boys that these were their pumpkins, and as such, they had full responsibility for their production (with me as the on-call consultant, of course).  We would have to prepare the beds, plant the seeds, weed and water as necessary, and if we were lucky enough, harvest and sell our pumpkins in the Fall.  If they hold up their end of the bargain, all of the profits will be theirs.  Cole and Greyson solemnly agreed to this venture, and we began clearing the new pumpkin beds. 

For those of you who may doubt if your children are old enough to help you with serious efforts in the garden, you will be amazed at what they want to do after a little time spent watching and instructing.  Cole begged me to run the tiller, and after explaining all of its working parts to him and walking behind him with my hands on the throttle for a few passes, he was more than ready to finish the rest of the pumpkin bed.  Though he is barely taller than the tiller itself, he did an amazing job, and the ground was fluffy, soft, and ready for our pumpkin seeds.  The old tiller in the picture is my Dad's old Craftsman, the one that I wrote about in a previous post that I thought had moved on to the big garden in the sky.  A friend of ours offered to work on the old gal, and he brought her back to me the next day, all smiles.  One pull of the start cord had the tiller purring like I had never witnessed before, and I stood dumbfounded at its resurrection.  He said the carburetor was beyond repair, but she still had some life left in her and to take advantage of it while it lasted.  It was a great moment for me to teach my oldest son how to till up the earth to plant a garden on the same machine that my father taught me.   Life, growth, death, and the birth of new generations - there is no better teacher than the garden on the cycles, continuity, and wonder of life.

So, the boys have tilled, hilled, and planted their pumpkin patch, and now await the imminent rains to awaken our seeds.  We have a long summer of weeding ahead of us, and I am sure at times their enthusiasm will wax and wane.  But this garden, and this life, is all one continuous experiment in which we constantly make our observations, analyze our outputs, and try, try again.  The garden also shows me the nature of my boys' personalities in the little ways that they go about their work.  Cole could till the garden all day without tiring, but threw the seeds in their hills haphazardly, with a unconcerned pat or two.  Greyson placed each seed in its individual spot with the precision of surgeon, and covered them up just as carefully.  Eli ran to each hill and patted the dirt on top of each one saying "There.  There." and clapped his hands after he was done.  Will our pumpkins make it through the summer?  We will have any to harvest?  Will anyone even want to buy our pumpkins?  Who knows.  But we are together, with our hands in the soil and working towards a common purpose.  That is the profit that I get to collect from our pumpkin patch.

And as for me, I have worked to develop our Mattamuskeet Momma Preserves and Natural Products business plan, and have submitted it, with my application, labels, and recipes to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  We will have a home kitchen inspection soon, and if all goes well, Mattamuskeet Momma preserves and breads will be available along side of our pumpkins!  The idea behind Mattamuskeet Momma products is that the food that we feed our children and ourselves should be pure, local, and grown through sustainable practices that preserve our local ecosystems.  Again, who knows where this venture will take me, but if anything, the garden has taught me that you never know unless you try.