HIS-tory
Digging Through My Roots
Remember two weeks ago, when I said continue to check-in, because I was going to link my outdoor garden experience to my heritage? Well, here we go!
I don’t ever remember a time, when outdoors wasn’t a part of my upbringing. I played childhood games in the backyard, walked through neighborhoods and paths in the woods, and worked in the dirt. “Worked in the dirt” you ask? Well, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been digging in soil, planting seeds, and pruning and propagating various plants. Most of this was on account of this man!
So, in honor of Father’s Day, I thought I’d spend some time sharing with you how my father shaped my love for nature.
I have to say that when I was pre-school age, I rode my father’s heels outdoors—wanting to watch and get my hands into anything that he was working on out there. He always planned and prepared a huge garden that—from my perspective—seemed like a farm, but in actuality, while it was large compared to most residential gardens, it wasn’t quite farm-sized (at least not at that time). He planted tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, okra, yellow squash, white squash, turnips, collards, onions—seemingly just about anything you might find in the produce section of your local grocery store. While I didn’t like the long hours in the sun as I got closer to pre-teen years, I learned a lot about gardening! By doing what he asked, I learned that certain seeds had to be planted at certain times of year, certain distances apart, and certain heights (mounds were required for large and vine-like plants such as squash and melons). I also learned about supplementing the soil in our garden, as we lived in the “clay-belt.” The ground that was (and still is) indigenous to the area was sticky and pasty when wet, and hard (almost brick-like) when dry. I learned to add old dry leaves, composted vegetable scraps (which we called “the garbage pile”), and even horse manure that we collected from a local stable. While the work was undesirable to my young mind, it produced some of the most delicious and desirable meals.
In addition to growing vegetables, my father also taught me about his passion—propagating Azaleas and Rhododendrons! My father had the most beautiful beds full of azaleas and rhododendrons all around our yard as I was growing up. They claimed the attention of passers-by, and even solicited requests to buy them. I recall neighbors and church members stopping by our house in May to purchase azaleas to present on Mother’s Day, and some stopping at other times to purchase plants to enhance their landscapes.
My favorite variety of Azalea (Martha Hitchcock) that he planted at the edge of my backyard
“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food ”
Now, what I haven’t yet mentioned, is that from my earliest memories until I was in high school, this was not at all related to my father’s profession. As a matter of fact, it was far from what one might have considered to be his expertise, as he worked full-time as a government computer operator and programmer, and owned a successful moving company on the side. Although he had his hands full with his full-time job, and his full-time entrepreneurial venture, he always found time to garden on the side. That is, until it became his full-time gig, when we moved to a 7-acre farm, he retired from the government, reduced his moving business, and grew his passion for planting into a full-time nursery and landscaping business.
Daddy and me starting our seeds for the 2020 season
At the time that he started this venture, I was in high school, and once again worked right along with him—not always willingly, but always appreciative to have a few extra dollars in my pocket. During the summer and on weekends, with his guidance, I continued learning how the earth sustains us—providing food to eat and plants that provided healing for the body and spirit. For a while, we continued to grow produce, both for our family to eat and to sell at our roadside stand—which I was left to attend.
As my father grew his business, he started selling more of his azaleas and rhododendrons. He also learned to Propagate hostas, which quickly became another specialty of his. Soon, he was growing and selling all types of plants; including annuals, perennials, evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. This lead to him expanding into a full-time landscaping and lawn service. Again, I was by his side—going on landscaping estimates with him, learning about various plants, and learning how to design landscapes.
Through his love of the outdoors, passion for planting, and proven business savvy, my father taught not only me, but many other children and young adults about the importance of hard work. That hard work, in turn, taught us about this glorious earth that God created, and all of the beauty and sustenance that it will provide us.
To this day, I still seek his advice about gardening. So, this blog is dedicated to a God-fearing, strong, hard-working, loving, giant-of-a-man!
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, DADDY!
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ”
And to all of the dad’s, uncles, brothers, godfathers, and father-figures out there . . .
Happy Father’s Day to you, too!
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ”