Vegetable Garden Memories 

As a child, one my most vivid memories of summer was rummaging through my uncles vegetable garden to find my favourite fresh veggies to eat. The carrots were my favourite, and my uncle would often tease me by telling me I was turning orange because I ate so many of them. Funnily enough his joke has a tinge of truth to it.  You can indeed turn a slightly orange if you eat too many of them.

My uncle and I used to spend long hours outdoors in the garden. He had a beautiful flower garden just as productive a his very large vegetable garden. Though he was a farmer’s son and had spent a lot of time helping out with the family business, he did not choose to make farming his life, but did make time to tend to both of his gardens with great passion. The vegetable garden was not only a labor of love; it was something that helped his farming parents through the winter. The more he could can or bottle, the more money they saved when milk prices and output was low and the money was not as good.

There was something ripening all the time in my uncle’s vegetable garden. Not everything was ready to be picked at the same time, though there were a few things that ripened all at the same time. I looked forward to the fresh produce such as crunchy lettuce, juicy cucumbers, and of course, and of course my favourite carrots. It was a lot of work for my uncle, but the results were well worth it. Though digging potatoes was a huge chore, it was also a lot of fun for me.

Your house may not have the room my uncle had for his vegetable garden, but you can scale a veggie patch to fit just about any block. Remember he grew far more than he could use and bottled a lot of it for the winter months. You may just want to grow veggies for the satisfaction alone, so if you have a small block don't fret as you don’t need a lot of room for your vegetable garden at all.

Start by growing just a few of each veggie so that you can enjoy them when they are ready. If you find you have planted too much, remember neighbors, friends, and family may all enjoy a little of your homegrown veggies.