Novice gardener with deep roots

My Danish grandfather at 83, cheerfully digging up a nice lawn to grow vegetables.

I consider myself a novice gardener with a strong inclination – even compulsion – to dig and plant. It’s got to be genetic.

Both my grandfathers grew things for a living.  They were European immigrants to Canada in the 1920s, and, well, that’s what you did in those days.  One died too soon from the effects of farm chemicals.  The other carried his passion long into retirement, and tore up a Dartmouth backyard into a huge vegetable garden which my father inherited and dutifully maintained.

My dad checking out the new pile of manure

I now have my grandfather’s rototiller and hand tools, and his elderly son still takes a keen interest, although he’s too feeble now to dig.

My mother and her (second) husband grow a showpiece garden in Mahone Bay. It’s her passion. Her other passion is flower arranging and decorating, an obvious match for gardening. Oh – and photography. I can’t wait until she gets her blog going!

Two coneflowers: Rudbeckia and Echinaecea. Photo J. Maginley

I’ve lived in many places and worked in other people’s gardens, and am glad to finally have my own.

Rising fuel prices suggest that learning to grow your own food and building up the fertility of your own soil are good things to do.  I feel I have a lot of learning to do as I build the soil.  I cannot claim the competence that my grandparents have, and as long as I build websites for a living, my learning is limited by my time.

Flowers and photo by my mother, June Maginley

However, gardening is the perfect antidote to sitting in front of a computer. So I will surely continue to grow as a gardener. My parents are still around to give advice, if I will take it, and my grandparents are smiling down on me. Stay tuned.