Ok, so it wasn't quite that long ago. It just seems like it. I was married at the time and the wife and I had bought 13 acres just outside of Jacksonville, Texas. This was the garden that we put in.
I learned all about canning tomatoes that year. Also juicing, freezing, eating, giving away, drying...just about anything that you could do with tomatoes, we did! We ended up with three rows, each about 100 ft. long, of just tomatoes!
Just to the right of the garden clearing, right beyond the trees, was a creek. We sunk a tub out of a washing machine into the bottom of the creek and using a pump, used the creek to water the garden.
The only reason I put these pictures on today was to show you what I had before...and what I hope to have again soon. I could have fed a couple of families with that garden. After the wife left me, I sort of let it go, which is a shame...
Next time the garden will be a bit smaller, and I am.hopefully, a lot wiser! I still will can, dry, eat, freeze, and give away some of the goodies.
Hopefully, the next one will be a good and happier harvest. Plus I will be gardening for only one person, not four! Here's to better times!
Well, thanks for listening, my friend! Now, let's get a fresh cup of coffee!
Morning HJ! That's downright pretty, that old garden of yours...yep, army feeder for sure! Too darned many tomatoes for me though, lol. Now green beans I can deal with (since they get eaten a whole lot around here).
ReplyDeleteFill 'er up!
(psst..why any woman would wanna leave your sweet self is beyond me!)
Gorgeous looking garden Hermit. YOu are right in downscaling a little though. Perhaps just a few extras for barter, gifts or sale?
ReplyDeleteI am sure too it will be a happier harvest!
Hey Momma...too many tomatoes is right! The ex-wife's uncle owned a plant farm, so everytime I turned around he was giving us bedding plants!
ReplyDeleteAs far as why she left, I guess that I am not an easy person to live with. Wouldn't be so bad, but she left me for a woman! That smarts a bit, ya know?
Water under the bridge...best forgotten! Hey, thanks for coming by today, lady!
Hey Molly...yeah, I'm thinking a smaller one will be more than enough for me, with plenty to share.
I appreciate you dropping in, Molly!
And isn't eating your own hard work all the sweeter for the hard work. Not to mention that you know what went into the making of it and share it with the wildlife as well. Hope you manage to get your garden back albeit smaller, it will still be your bit of paradise.
ReplyDeleteNice plot there, pal. Does look like that would be a little much for one person to take care of, so downsizing is a good thing. Smaller is easier to take care of for one person.
ReplyDeleteHope to get ours started soon...well as soon as it warms up and stays that way.
Hi Jim;
ReplyDeleteWish I had been your neighbor-Love tomatoes. Used to put up 200 quarts of juice,and sauce each year in my Michigan garden. Wish I would have saved some pics.
Your plot sure looked good.Ours fed four.
Morning Jim,
ReplyDeleteYou can never have to many tomatoes, as far as I'm concerned. Besides if you do three rows one year, then the next you take inventory on your supplies and then you're not obligated to plant so many the next season, and instead can concentrate on something else you'd like to try or stock up on.
We do this with Kentucky wonder pole beans( for canning and dehydrating) and then the following year simply plant enough to eat fresh and grow another sort of bean( maybe for drying) Squash is the same way, we rotate years of growing different squash.
Any hoo! your garden was beautiful and I'm sure you'll have another soon! There is nothing like the smell of freshly turned soil on a warm Spring day!
Happy gardening. :o)
Blessings,
from The Never Done Farm
I was just debating about whether or not to do a 'garden' this year. I do like fresh tomatoes though, and the store ones are so expensive and no where near as good.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy your story Jim. Even though this happened a hundred years ago, haha
blondie
Hey Sage...you're right that enjoying the bounty of your labore is a good thing! Always taste better when you grow it yourself!
ReplyDeleteThnks for the visit today!
Hey Eddie...yep, it was a handful for just me. But a lot of hard lessons were learned from that little patch of ground.
Hey, thanks for stopping in, my friend.
Hey Tony...tomatoes and the rest DO indeed taste better when homegrown. Lots of satisfaction in doing it for you and yours...
Always glad to have you visit, my man!
Hey Kelly...sounds like a good way to stagger what you plant! I'll have to try it that way!
I appreciate you dropping by today!
Hey Blondie...my Colorado Cutie! You know your critters would just LOVE you to put in a garden for them to play in!
You know I always am glad to see yopu drop by...have a great day!
It's a beautiful plot. I can't wait to get out of the city and at least play in Mom's garden (about 1/2 that size...and she's doing it by herself!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the coffee!
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteSure looked like a nice place. Hope you get out to your new one soon. But at our age down sizing is better. I'll have to come down for a cup and a nice tomatoe.
Have a great day.
JoJo
Hey Maitreya...there's something about playing in the soil that is very calming and satisfying. Guess it takes us back a bit to our roots.
ReplyDeleteHope you get a chance to play in Mom's dirt soon, my friend!
Thanks for the visit!
Hey JoJo...I have to admit, it was a nice place! I enjoyed it a lot.
You will always be welcome to share my table and the garden. I might even find a hoe thatfits your hand, who knows?
I appreciate you coming by today...
I've been lurking on your site for several weeks ... good to know you. The images of your garden are tantalizingly beautiful. So green, flat and just the right size for a family. I hope that wherever you are now living has the potential for a smaller, but similar garden. A wise and older woman with whom I lunch on a weekly basis told me just yesterday that I should store and plant only what I really eat -- such obvious wisdom, huh?
ReplyDeleteSo, what do you really like to eat?
Kristen, not Kyle
Hey Kristen...good to see you! What do I really like to eat? Well, I'm one of those lucky people that like nearly all vegetables...I'll admit that there are some I like better than others, but for the most part I like them all.
ReplyDeleteA garden should reflect what you are happiest with, especiaslly for long term storage like canning!
Being a country boy at heart, I'm pretty much a meat and 'taters type, with peppers,onions and greens thrown in.
One of my favorite meals...? Beans and cornbread, a slice of onion, and a cold glass of sweet tea! Can't be beat!
Hey, thanks for stopping by today!
Inspiring. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteHey Mo...hope the weather is starting to get warmer around your homestead!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by today!
Your garden reminds me of my dad's garden when I was growing up. Brings back some wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteFunny you mention beans and cornbread.....It's always been a favorite of mine. Sweet onion slices and some cold sliced tomato's. Yummy!
I can remember when I was a kid that meat wasn't usually the main course. Alot of times it was more like a side dish What I guess I am trying to say is that there were usually lots of "other" stuff as well. Fresh stuff out of the garden. Like sliced tomato's, cantaloupe,peppers (sweet and hot too) and whatever was coming in out in the garden.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane Jim!
Hey SFChick...many times whern I was growing up, we would have a vegetable supper. Even if we had no meat, we always seemed to eat well. I don't ever remember going hungry.
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about garden fresh veggies is making my mouth water!
I'm glad you came by today!
Jim
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is WOW!
Reminds me of our gardens we used to have on the farm.
Oh thought I would let you know I have a pot of beans on right now come on over.
Rod
That was a beautiful garden! and a creek too...well somethings have too high a price to keep. Smaller garden & hot coffee sounds pretty good too.
ReplyDeleteHey Rod...it was a pretty good size and did produce a lot of food! Glad to see you are a beans man.
ReplyDeleteHey, glad you could drop by!
Hey Stephanie...hot coffee and a smaller garden will be the order of the day, believe me.
Thanks for coming by!
Garden away, uncle! We'll figure out something to do with it all!
ReplyDeleteAnd, young as I am, eating is not so unwelcome a solution...
:D
That is a beautiful spot Jim. Sorry you had to let that go, I am really hoping you can find something similar to what you once had. Good luck Jim.
ReplyDeleteHey FC...thanks man, I appreciate that! I'm sure that I'll have another one...and to me, any producing garden is pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by today, my friend!
I agree w/Cygnus...can always figure out what to do with the bounty. It is as much about the pleasure of planting and watching grow as eating, well almost! That really was such a nice place. Wish we had it now. Oh well!
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ReplyDelete