A love of nature bridges generations.
Jean Ann Van Krevelen (@JeanAnnVK) has a new book coming out, and she recently gave me a sneak peek at it. Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners offers new gardeners practical, easy-to-follow advice on how to cultivate homegrown veggies. She also gives a very nice nod to the victory garden movement.
Below is an excerpt from the volume, specifically the dedication page that illustrates how the "gift" of gardening is one passed from generation to generation. As soon as I read the page, I knew it was perfect for RW&G. This blog is, after all, dedicated to one of my own grandparents. And today we're talking "Kids & Gardens" as part of #twitter4vg Tuesday, so this particular bit from the book seemed....well, it was serendipity! Fortunately, Jean Ann graciously agreed to share these lovely words, which I think you'll find as moving as I did. (Be sure to see her blog, Gardener to Farmer, too.) Enjoy!
This book is dedicated to my grandmother, Bea Van Krevelen and my mom, Claire Merryman. The two women who helped me see the wonder of gardening.Now, please tell Jean Ann and I about the people in your family that inspire you to garden--or the ones whom you seek to inspire!
I spent much of my childhood living with my grandparents. My grandmother wasn’t often successful in getting me outside to admire her gardening skills, particularly during the hot Oklahoma summers. I knew she loved to “dig in the dirt”, but I could not understand why she would choose to be out there, instead of in the air conditioning with me. We had a deep bond, to be sure, but it certainly wasn’t around anything to do with nature.
I was grown and living in another state when I learned that my grandmother was terminally ill. I returned home and was fortunate to be with her during her final weeks. She was too ill to do much, so we spent a lot of time watching gardening and cooking shows. Martha Stewart Living was our morning ritual. When my grandmother passed away, I was deeply distraught. And even though my both of my parents were (and are) alive, I suddenly felt like an orphan.
I offered to help with the estate and spent the next few months going through the house, cleaning out closets, painting walls, peeling wallpaper, digging into the attic…generally getting the home ready for sale. I welcomed this time spent in her home, not yet ready to move on without her.
Early on in the process, I realized that the yard would need to be mowed, the beds cleaned up and the empty pots filled with sunny flowers. I am no real estate expert, but even I know that curbside appearance matters. Having absolutely no idea what to do, I called my mom.
Thankfully, my mom had taken the time to learn about gardening from my grandmother. Mom took me on my first spring planting excursion. We went to nurseries and home improvement stores. I still remember her explaining the difference between an annual and a perennial. We brought our beauties home and started planting. Mom taught me about growing in containers, feeding the roses, keeping the beds watered…every time I had a gardening question, her phone started ringing.
Looking back on that time, I recognize the incredible gift given to me by these amazing women. They cared for me as they cared for their gardens, with love and patience, coaxing me along, helping me blossom into the woman I am today. Mom now helps me harvest bushels of raspberries and baskets of blueberries from my berry patch. And when I visit my vegetable garden, I still find my grandmother there. She is the soft breeze, the sweet smelling earth, and the warm rays of the sun. Each spring, she embraces me with hope and love as I return to work the beds, continuing her gardening legacy.
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