Eatable Eden

Since we bought a little piece of land I’ve felt this pull, from inside, to plant a little garden and grow some food.

My husband’s grandfather recently died and my parents generously gave us money for a natural memorial. We’ve decided on a Gilbert R. Thornton Memorial Garden, we’ll make a stone.

Groceries are out of control and this is an attempt to keep us in produce without breaking the budget. So far I’ve planted 12 strawberry plants and 4 cherry tomatoes. My kids are begging for cantaloupes, watermelons, grapes and raspberries. I want to plant our favorite vegetables; asparagus and artichokes, cucumbers and squash.

If there is enough, I’ll learn to some up for winter.

Every generation in both sides of my family, my husband’s grandparents’ too, have gardened. I’ve reaped the rewards of home grown food and now I feel a desire to keep it going.

The catch is that we’ll have to plant our garden in the front yard on the side of the house. It’s the only place that doesn’t have shade trees or red brick. I think the builder of this home got a fantastic deal on red brick – it’s everywhere.

There is a beautiful piece about Detroit’s community gardens in O Magazine (unfortunately they don’t have it online so I can’t link to it), describing an Urban Eden. With its economy in the toilet and the city burdened with vacant lots from much of the population fleeing the unemployment rate, those who have stayed in Detroit have taken up gardening. They have grant money and use it to buy seeds and supplies. There are 220 family gardens, 115 community gardens and 20 school gardens. They’ve used the food to feed the homeless and hungry. They’ve used the hard work to give the unemployed a sense of purpose. They’ve taught the students where food really comes from. The article made it sound so good – and cheap enough to buy a lot for a few hundred dollars – I considered moving there or at least investing in some land.

The article describes a brilliant mingling of inner-city and Eden.

In a way, I expect our garden to simplify and declutter our minds like a back-to-earth meditation, our own Eatable Eden. (Not to mention lower the grocery bill and take up time we might otherwise use to spend money.)

I plan on milking my extended family’s collective knowledge about gardening and visit Mother Earth’s Garden. Yesterday she had a story about the benefits of gardening for children. Truthfully, I remember my childhood time gardening as “the reason I can’t go play” and as hard labor. But, in retrospect I’m really grateful to know what I know from that experience.

Image: AtDetroit.net