SEEDS FROM PLOT 509
It has been a very dry winter, and now that spring has arrived I'm seeing the same dry trend again. As the sun rises each morning, I think that even if I have to haul water in buckets to my garden, I'm going forth this year with my veggies.
Nothing tastes better than to pluck my own heirloom tomato ripe off the vine and enjoy thick juicy slices in a BLT sandwich. Also, how about teaching my 4-year-old how to shell baby sugar snap peas, fresh and sweet snacking? Growing my own food, there's no question as to how it is grown, how it is handled, and how much it is thoroughly enjoyed by my family and friends.
From some films I've seen of neighborhoods in England, I've noticed that most of the small, quaint, bricked-divided yards had veggies and cutting flowers growing. It seems like such a normal thing for these folks. Whereas here in my city, I'm surrounded by expansive yardage of green lawns that are water hogs, and mostly maintained by a "service." Now is the time for all of us to get back to the earth, and familiarize ourselves with what nurtures us.
I think that if more people here in the United States grew their own salads and tomatoes and such, this would bring about a sense of control and self reliance and awareness towards our health and our environment - a kind of revolution of thought. Perhaps a neo-gardener would realize and understand just how the lack of water can impact our lives. I will say, though, that changes are being made, slowly, at least towards zeriscaping instead of lawns. I'm hoping that more and more people and families will visit their local farmer's market and purchase starter plants for their veggie gardens and maybe dig up some of that excess sod.
The past several years have brought a dryness that I think is here to stay. I find myself missing the snow pack that always promised a fruitful growth for trees and shrubs and no worries. For now I will be satisfied to have my little piece of heaven in this part of the world, squash a few potato bugs, and sometimes watch the sun set for the evening. The time to move to where there's water is coming closer, but until then, if necessary, I will haul water.
Aspen Marks