Gardening: It’s a traditional rite of spring

The year of the garden seems to be upon us as there is an awakening in general to this useful plot of land, a tradition for most rural families but a discovery for some, even at the White House.

Gardening is a rite of spring that I can remember back into childhood with some years standing out more than others, possibly because of the amount of effort I put into them than for the vegetables grown.

Year in and year out garden vegetables generally grow in abundance and give a reasonable return on the labor to plant, weed and harvest this nutritious food.

Having grown and eaten fresh tomatoes and sweet corn, none other will do.

Most of us who garden wait for this time of year so that we can once again try our luck. There are superior gardeners among us who maintain season long, weed-free, productive gardens.  Most of us run out gas before the season is over.

Paul Magura was one notable exception. He was one of those remarkable people who kept an immaculate garden. Not a weed in sight even into the fall. I am sure he had help, but this was his pride and joy.

Gardeners are a strange bunch sometimes, swearing by a particular variety even after it is long past its prime, planting by the signs, using only one kind of mulch, religiously planting certain vegetables on certain dates, even if conditions are ready sooner.

They remember what has worked and stick to it — and get this, the vegetables are “theirs.” I often hear “my tomatoes or “my corn” in reference to methods, varieties or timing. Their proven traditions and methods are not altered from one year to the next, no matter what we say at the Extension office. I try not to argue with success even if it flies in the face of “book” methods. 

Herself must have peas and because I am not an early-spring gardener, we sometimes have difficulty making peas work. I can recall only a couple of times when peas did really well and maybe this year will be one of them.

Pea seed is in the ground now taking up row upon row of valuable corn- and tomato-growing space.

When it comes to picking peas, we all can take a page out of Richard Settle’s “book.” Pull up the vines when most of the pods are ready and take them to the shade for picking. Then the real work starts. Call in some friends and have a good chat over pea-shelling.

In the end, a gallon of tender peas are ready for the creamy, buttery dish that includes new potatoes. This was my grandfather’s favorite.

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So you know from reading the paper that a Community Garden is planned. We want to involve not only people who want to grow vegetables, but people who want to help others. We could use both volunteers and donations of gardening supplies.

Everyone can be part of this community effort that is really more about self-reliance than it is about food. Join us at CFC Farm and Home, Tuesday March 31, 6 p.m. for our kick off meeting.

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Remember, the Piedmont Horse Expo is set for Saturday, 9 to 4, at Culpeper Ag. Enterprises, U.S. 29 South.

Carl Stafford is a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent based in its Culpeper office. His column runs every other Wednesday. David Hasbury returns next week.