Gardening, A Happier Thought

My 2019 garden in mid-season. Photo by Jerry Apps

As the bad news continues and the number of those captured by the COVID-19 virus goes up and the number employed goes down, it’s easy to feel nothing but gloom and doom.
I’m switching to happier thoughts and our family garden quickly comes to mind. I remember helping my mother in our big farm garden back when I was maybe four or five years old and I have worked in a garden almost every year since. About the only time when I missed gardening was the time when I was in the army. We’ve grown a vegetable garden at Roshara, our Waushara County farm for more than 50 years—never missing a year.

A couple of years ago, my kids gave me a special folding lawn chair, with the words on the back “Senior Supervisor.” Steve and Natasha have taken on most of the work, enlisting Sue and Paul on occasion, especially during the times when the weeds seem to be winning.

I planted tomato seeds a couple of weeks ago and they are up and thriving under my grow-light. I ordered seeds back in February, and yesterday I spread them out on the dining room table—radishes, peas, rutabagas, lettuce, kale, sweet corn, zucchini, beets, winter squash, pumpkins, carrots, bush beans. Natasha has been rounding up seed potatoes, both white and red, plus onion sets. I will buy cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprout plants for setting out.

So we are ready for another gardening season with all of its challenges and surprises—every garden season is different, which is one of the joys of growing a garden.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Not only does a garden provide fresh vegetables for the table, but it also nourishes the soul.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 15, 10:00 a.m. I will be reading from my book TENTS, TIGERS AND THE RINGLING BROTHERS live on the Wisconsin Historical Society Press’s Facebook page. Tune in.
You can also go to the Wisconsin Historical Society Press’s Facebook page and see me reading my children’s picture book EAT RUTABAGAS, which was aired on March 25.

.WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS AND DVDS.

Read about my gardening adventures in GARDEN WISDOM, (Wisconsin Historical Society Press).

It is available from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.. They have a great selection of my books for sale, or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414. Or call your local bookstore.