Growing part of your family food supply in Western North Caroline was a very common practice in the early 1960’s if you had some land to farm. From what I remember, my grandparents had a large piece of land behind their house and every year in the spring my grandpa would plant lots of vegetables in this field. And during the summer when I was out of school my grandpa would have me help him tend to the family garden growing in the field.
When I was seven my grandpa set aside a small area of the field so I could grow my own vegetable garden. This was very special for me. It would be my own little farm garden. My Grandpa let me pick what vegetables I wanted to plant, but there were some rules I would need to follow. My Grandpa said that I had to take care of the garden from tilling to planting to harvest. He said he would help a little, but most of the work had to be done by me so I could learn about responsibility. I was so excited! And I would accept the rules he set.
So, in the spring when the temperatures began to warm up a bit, I learned how to till the soil and make the rows where I would plant my chosen crop seeds. This ended up being a lot of work. Much more than I had envisioned. From what I remember, my grandpa had a gasoline powered tilling machine that you would walk behind. Sometimes the dirt would become airborne and hit you in the face. It was also very difficult for me to control especially because I was smaller than the machine. But I did have my grandpa to help me as we walked what seemed to be endless rows of plowing the dirt.
Once the soil was tilled, my grandpa taught me how to make the rows where the seeds would be planted. As my grandpa explained, the lower parts of the rows, also known as the ditch, helped hold water when it rained and kept the vegetable seeds from being flooded out of the ground. The high parts were the row tops where we would plant the vegetable seeds. And I planted lots of seeds. Of course, when you are 7 you don’t yet understand about the germination process, and after planting the seeds all I wanted to see were the plants growing and giving me a harvest, quickly. I really didn’t fully understand the need for a growing season just yet. I needed to learn about true patience and how nature works. Maybe that is why my grandpa gave me my own little farm garden.
As the spring wrapped up, the days were getting much warmer and every day there was a hope for a rain shower, even a good soaking since my little garden did have the ditches to collect the water. I also had to pull the weeds and to keep the soil loose so when it did rain the rainwater could easily seep into the dirt of the rows. My grandpa taught me how to use a hoe and claw to loosen the dirt by hand. And this too was a lot of work. But it was one of the many rules I had to follow to learn about being responsible. I had to care for my garden no matter what the challenge was.
As the summer continued to move towards the month of August, my little garden was becoming full of thick vegetable plants, and the actual vegetables were forming, and some were beginning to mature. I hoped August would be a great month. And it was my birthday month as well. This was an exciting time. And these were my vegetables grown by me. Well, that is how I want to believe it. Looking back, I think that my grandpa would go out in the evening when I was getting ready for bed and make sure I was going to be a successful little kid farmer. It always seemed like his garden had more weeds than mine.
Before my birthday my mom and I move to our new house. I was a bit disappointed that I would not be able to wake up in the morning and go out to my little farm garden to see what had grown overnight. Even though we were no longer next to my grandparents’ house, we were only about 5 minutes away and it was a simple drive. I think my mom just bought a new Chevrolet Corvair so we could make the drive. I also think, looking back as an adult, that she was seeking more independence. And I was excited about moving to the new house and having my own room.
When harvest time came, my grandpa, grandma, and my mom helped pick the vegetable goodies that I had grown with my own two hands in my little farm garden which was alongside my grandpa’s big farm garden. And my grandma and my mom took the vegetables we picked and prepared them for canning. I would learn about canning later. And yes, we would be eating my harvest along with my grandpa’s harvest through late fall, winter, and the early spring months. We had a lot of food. I was very proud of my farming achievement.
Looking back at this experience as an adult now I often wonder what happened to my green thumb. I try to grow vegetables now and am lucky to get a couple of good tomatoes and a zucchini. What special green thumb knowledge did I lose when I grew up? Is there a magic that all kids contain in our little bodies when it comes to growing things? Was my success strengthened secretly by my grandparents? Where did my green thumb come from? Maybe it was my grandpa’s green thumb extended to me through his love for me. And with his passing when I was young, maybe my connection to farm gardening success went with him. This will never be known though.
I would still like to think that it was my little green thumb…
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