it’s so windy today! the sun shines, when it can find a spot to poke through the clouds that seem like they’ve hanging around for weeks.   planting is a spritual activity for me that i miss now that everything is in and up.

joy comes differently during growing season. planting is physical. it wears out gloves and wrecks my hands. my arms get stronger. it is a garden-wide activity that ends with the placing of a single seed in a tiny hole. it is trust, hope, faith.

growing season brings great moments of surprise and wonder, concern and care. the big bulge that formed overnight just behind the pumpkin flower.  the sudden breakout of blooms on the cantaloupe. the potato leaves are wilting - is it close to harvest, phosphorus burn or a symptom of something else? why has the bottom of the peas turned blue - is it that close to the end of harvest?  the crop of bush beans is reaching full production and the pole beans have reached the top of the trellis and are groping for more.

and tassles are on the corn. well, they are in the corn, wrapped in unfolding leaves.  moments of change, that’s my joy in growing season. when an emergent breaks through the soil and the seedling spreads its leaves.  the corn has tassles.  the garden is going well today.

it felt awful to leave our 45 sq ft back yard  garden behind last july when we moved.  shaoyu and alicia had been enjoying the cucumbers, the tomatos were almost ripe and we all shared the first cantaloupe - the sweetest ever!

 the new property had promise - a big field of about 8800 sq ft where a garden had been.  it was not maintained over the last couple years, but it was obvious the previous gardener had developed the soil in many areas. the previous owner told us an additional shady patch of about 2500 sq ft in front of the barn was the original garden, but as the shade oaks grew up and blocked the sun it becamse less productive.

so thats how we went to about 11,000 sq ft this year. the shade garden turns out to be perfect for early crops like radishes. it also protects mesclun, lettuce, most of the greens, from the beating texas sun. the early leafy plants get plenty of sun to get them started. then as the heat goes up the leaves make a timely appearance to provide the shade.

and the large field is ready to burst at the seams. peas are producing at about 30% and will hit their full stride in another 7-10 days.  onions are passingthe young stage and starting to bulb.  some are blooming. everything else except peppers is planted and up.

i dont know whether to be happy or scared. there’s a lot of  food coming. we would love to open a neighhborhood produce stand and support local food and farming concepts. i wanted to have a garden to teach Alicia how to grow her own.  as i work the field and perform the tasks this year memories come back. i cut the seed potatos as if by instinct. shelling peas seemed second nature.  my grandparents had a garden (my mom, i, and my twin lived at my grandparents in the early years) and according to my mom those are both tasks i loved to do for them. the feeling was both strange and comforting. it reminds me to thank my ancestors and to honor them by passing their knowledge on.