Farmer Debbie?

Darren, Luke and I moved back from OK to CA in February of 2009. While living in OK, Darren and I noticed the very small quantity of good produce in our area. Now granted, "good produce" is a relative term. 'Good produce' to a Northern Californian means PERFECT. No flaws, bright, colorful and at the peak of ripeness. This is mostly because Northern Californians are surrounded by farms producing food at alarming rates and our soil supports a HUGE variety of produce. 'Good produce' to an Oklahoman means not rotten nor insect infested. I would imagine the not PERFECT produce in OK is mostly due to the poor soil and weather conditions. The weather can go from hot to cold in a flash and is VERY difficult to predict. Seasons are a fable Oklahomans have only heard of, never witnessed first hand (in their home state anyway). Much of the produce eaten in OK has been shipped in from very far away and is not ripe, or has been ripened by chemicals en route to the store. The only notable exception is produce purchased at a farmers market. The produce sold there is in direct contrast to what I have listed above, however is typically very costly.

Therefore, in moving back to sunny CA Darren decided we would plant a garden and grow our own herbs, veggies and fruit organically. Nothing too big, just a starter garden to figure out how to do it and what all it's going to take to be successful.

I was not at all excited about the prospect of spending the hot, dry days milling about the garden pulling weeds and sweating. I had foreboding visions of Darren starting this monstrosity of a garden and then leaving me to the watering and the weeding. NOT my cup of tea!

Surprisingly we BOTH obtained a hankering for it and have enjoyed it immensely! Neither of us are really into the whole weeding thing...but we share the work and have been quite successful. It is a great stress reducer for both of us and has proved quite rewarding at harvest time. Not to mention at dinner time when eating from our bounty, just knowing there are no hazardous chemicals lurking on our produce is satisfying in and of itself. We can enjoy it and be proud we helped to bring it into being. Luke has deemed himself our quality inspector and can be found wandering the garden ensuring all produce is at the highest quality (in the taste department that is). He is not above grabbing tomatoes, strawberries or the like right off the vine and eating them right then and there. The freshest produce known to man.

This year, we have expanded our garden. We are growing: corn, beets, cilantro, sweet peppers, 3 or 4 kinds of hot peppers, leek, garlic, onions (white, yellow and red), butternut squash, pumpkin, watermelon, musk melon, eggplant, artichokes, strawberries, grapes, plums, figs, boysenberries, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cherokee purple tomatoes, roma tomatoes, tamatillos, zucchini, rosemary, lemon balm, chives, thyme, lemons, lettuce, swiss chard, pickling cucumbers and soon we will be planting some okra. WHEW! I know it sounds like a lot, but TRULY, having a larger garden is not exponentially more work than having a smaller one. Honest.

Our family refers to us as Farmer Debbie, Farmer Darren and Farmer Luke. I have become quite accustomed to working outside with my hands and rather enjoy it now. I know, I know...CRAZY right?!?! Well, from my mouth to God's ears it is far more rewarding that I would have ever deemed possible. We even get the chance to share our goodies with friends, family and neighbors. To me that is the best part. It's fun to share what you have grown. Bragging rights??? Perhaps...I enjoy it none the less.

It has also saved us a bunch of money. Money? You might ask how growing your own garden can save money. Well, when we compare the cost of the seeds and the time it takes us to weed and water to that of the cost of organically grown produce one can purchase in the store...YES we save money. Organically grown produce is still unfortunately expensive in this great country. You can buy toxic chemical laden produce for a fraction of the cost (and a fraction of the taste too I might add). Never the less, growing produce for oneself is rewarding and does have a cost incentive.

I understand gardening is not for all people. I am not implying that all should grab a shovel and a hoe and head out to the backyard with reckless abandon. Perhaps gardening is not for you. That's ok. Boating is not for me, nor is cross country skiing. We all seem to get by with what works. I AM proposing that perhaps every great once in a while, we should break out of our cozy little comfort zones and try something new. We might just be surprised by what we discover of ourselves.

Happy hunting...