My first experience with gardening was when I was a little girl around 5 or 6 years old. My Grandmothers put out a huge garden every year with help from my mom and aunts. I learned to break beans from a bushel basket with a newspaper in my lap and an empty bucket between all of us to throw the pieces in. My Grandmothers were tough. My Grandfathers both died when my mom and dad were 10 years old. A garden was a lifesaver for them. The community helped them both when their spouses died. As I look back and remember those days of how everyone helped each other it makes me long for days like that in today’s world.
My dad put out a huge garden every year once we moved onto the family farm when I was in second grade. I was always involved in harvesting the garden but never learned much about planting a garden. Daddy was really good at it. My mom canned beans and tomatoes and froze corn and peas every year until my sister and I were out of high school. Today I wish I would have been more involved in planting, canning, and freezing the harvest.
My mom passed away suddenly after a short illness 5 years ago. I find myself grieving the things that I missed out on that were such a part of her life when I was growing up. I wanted to learn those things from her but it was too late. My dad became sick also and is unable to do the things he used to. Now, it’s up to me to do it myself and learn what I can to keep the important things alive
Through the Build it up program I have been given a gift to learn the things about gardening that I didn’t when I was growing up. I chose to garden in raised beds for my first year. I built 4-4×8 raised beds out of rough sawn lumber and a herb spiral out of bricks. I animal proofed the raised beds with half inch mesh on the bottom and then placed cardboard board on top of the mesh. I filled each bed with pieces of wood and leaves from the woods around my house and then topped each bed off with top soil and compost.
I am a terrible procrastinator and the process has been challenging for me; but, everything is starting to turn out wonderfully. With the guidance of the program my plants are growing and it is exciting to see progress. It feels like I can do this. I am hopeful for the future of growing and sharing and building community through what my grandparents, parents, the Build It Up program, and all the programs I have attended over the last 4 years have taught me. I am thankful for the wonderful people I’ve met through ARCD and the programs they provide the communities in this region.
~ Lucinda Bowman
