How Parenting and Gardening Go Hand-in-Hand

We moved into our little cottage in the autumn of 2015. Since then, we’ve grown three gardens together in our little backyard plot. In the summer, we grow zucchini, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. We tried our first winter garden this year and the only thing I really got out of it was a fantastic picture of my daughter holding a giant cabbage that was bigger than her head.

I actually first planted something in this dirt when I was a newlywed. We were renting the cottage back then and we were as green as the plants we grew. I have pictures of me creating our first tiny spread, wearing a tie-dye t-shirt and cheerleading shorts that have since been donated to my younger sister. I had a too-big shovel and ambition the size of Texas and we grew some of the juiciest tomatoes I’ve ever eaten that year. We installed a wireless dog fence (more info here) and let our puppy Pablo pounce around in the yard with us, sniffing the bounty and digging into the fresh compost. Pablo turns 15 this year and while he can’t see as well anymore, he still loves basking in our backyard sun.

No, it wasn’t much to look at and it certainly isn’t as expansive or impressive as our neighbor’s eight-acre spread, complete with a three-acre pond outfitted with an aerator, but it’s modest and enough for us.

Still, the act of gardening roots us to this place and I’ve always loved digging into the ground, coaxing the little seedlings to grow and monitoring its progress over the course of the warm, summer months. One of my favorite memories of my daughter happened last summer. I woke her up early because I’d seen some giant squash just begging to be picked. She pulled on her work boots, grabbed her jacket and raced out the screen door. “Come on, garden girl!” she yelled back at me, her mouth wide open and laughing joyously.

We tilled the ground again last weekend and hoed our rows just right. We put the tiny plants in there and hoped for the best. We can see the space from my daughter’s bedroom window, so that night we took a good look at it before tucking her into bed. Then, the rains came. Our little section of the Triad region of North Carolina got a deluge last week and I don’t think the sun came out even once. Instead, we got more rain that week than in the entire winter months combined. I knew the storms were flailing those tiny plants around, but I was powerless to save them. Then, the water dried and the sun came up and a veritable heat wave scorched the ground for an entire week. Those little plants were warriors through the whole thing but most of them look worse for the wear and if we get even a mediocre harvest from them, I’ll consider it a success.

Still, I can’t help but compare the dependency of the garden to that of my children. Like the plants, my kids need a few basic items of care each day, all of which I’m fortunate to be able to provide. Yet, just as I couldn’t safeguard those new plants against the inclement weather, I’m also unable to totally shield my brood from any storms that might come their way. Of course, as their mother, I can do all in my power to keep out as much of the mud and the muck as I possibly can, but ultimately, rain may seep through even the tightest fist. That’s when time and love come into play.

I firmly believe that in a few short weeks, those yellowing and wilting plants will find a new strength and rise back up to meet the sun. I know they’ll yield us more than enough vegetables even though right now I can’t imagine or see it. The same goes for my kids. They’re barely toddlers and right now they’re somewhat of a mess. Their shirts are always stained, they can never find their shoes, their hair always needs to be combed and their faces stay sticky. Still, I can see the potential and I know they’ll bear some pretty great fruit in their lives.

I know that they’re resilient and hearty and capable of some really amazing things. As I check in on the garden and watch it grow before my eyes, so too will they develop and mature before I’m even ready. So what do you have, my little garden girl and boy? What sorts of beautiful harvests will you produce? Your mama can’t wait to see.