A little bit of everything
It all begins with the tree blooming. Once the blooms drop off the fruit begins to form. The Mayhaw is a Hawthorn whose fruit ripens in late April to early May, hence the name. I am having to check my trees daily once the fruit begins to turn pink, because I am competing with the birds and the squirrels for the bounty.
When the hot Texas sun is beating down, unrelentingly, day after day, it is time to get in the water. Unfortunately the water at the beach feels like a warm bath exacerbated by sand, which gets everywhere, if you know what I mean. If you are not into swimming in warm sandy water look inland at the variety of rivers available for tubing.
The season I like the most is spring. It is a time of renewal of refreshment. The old has died and the new is springing forth. The beginning of spring means time to begin working on my garden.
Years ago we bought the lot behind our house, mainly to keep anyone from building on that property. We cleared the land and staked out what would become my garden. Early in the spring we begin tilling the garden, I like it tilled at least twice before I begin planting. My husband usually does the tilling using our big tiller, I for some reason seem to always be fighting the tiller.
Then it is time to lay out the rows and begin the planting. I have plenty of room (the garden is 65 feet by 55 feet), but I always seem to struggle with what to plant. There are a few things I always plant: green beans, purple hull peas, black crowder peas, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Then I fill in with things I don’t always plant. This year I have planted turnips, mustard greens and collard greens. In the past I have planted kale, kohlrabi, and corn.
Now that the garden is planted, the only thing to do is periodically till between the rows to keep the weeds and grass down. Due to the Corona virus this year I have been working from home this spring. I decided I would till the garden while my husband was at work. I chose not to use the motorized tiller but instead used a big wheel tiller. By the time I was done tilling between the planted rows I swore I had done a weeks worth of exercise. It was not too hard to push the tiller, it was just hot and that it a lot of garden.
A garden can be a lot of work, but there is a sense of satisfaction in getting out and working with your hands. I love having my grandchildren work in the garden with me and instilling in them the love of growing things. Luckily my granddaughters live close enough that they have been able to work with us in all phases of tending the garden.
The work is so worth it when you are sitting down to a meal of fresh vegetables that you grew. If you have never tried your hand at gardening I invite you to give it a try.