Gardening through Generations
My parents both grew up in small/medium sized Wisconsin towns full of hard-working folks, a few alcoholics, but mostly bliss. They reminisce about being children that just stayed outside all day playing with the other neighborhood kids, getting dirty, being tough and developing self-sufficiency. In a recent conversation with my dad, he was joking about what a terrible kid he’d have been by today’s standards. He admitted to all of the produce him and his buddies would steel from neighbors’ gardens after dark. My mom chimed in “we did that too!” For a second I giggled at the irony between kids in the 60’s: having to sneak fresh veggies--willing to eat them raw and covered in dirt, vs kids now: needing bribes with treats before they’ll try their steamed green beans.
After that second, a red flag went up. This appreciation of garden fresh vegetables did NOT sound like my parents. When my sister and I were just babies, my parents built a house on a dreamy cauldesac lot with a woodsy area in the backyard. It came with some established plants such as rhubarb, asparagus, blackberry bushes, mulberry trees and wild grape vines. Jewels of the midwest climate! But in my parents’ attempt to beautify their landscape, they mowed over the asparagus and rhubarb, tore out the uncontrolled blackberry bushes and grape vines, and ignored the mulberry.
Only recently are they looking back on these decisions with a hint of regret. Only now are they using this bounty of land and good soil to begin growing their own food. What took them so long I wonder. And why now?
Maybe it has something to do with the stash of time and energy building as they near retirement, but I’d argue that they’re more busy than ever trying to work and save as much as possible while spending time with their ten grandchildren. Maybe it’s related to the fact that in the past 5 or so years, we (my parents, myself, and my siblings) have been accumulating auto-immune diseases and precancerous lumps and bumps. Things that are closely tied with pesticide consumption among other environmental toxins found in our soil and water. And maybe also because of the spread of awareness surrounding the ugly agricultural practices they unknowingly supported for so many years, combined with the awareness of the benefits of eating something you’ve grown in healthy soil, immediately after you’ve picked it. And the fun of introducing the grandkids to this magical produce.
Gardning, permaculture, setting up a food-forest in your backyard... whatever you call it, it’s skilled labor. There is so much to get right and so much to get wrong. You have to educate yourself somehow on this subject, and put in some hot, hard hours in the yard. On the bright side, it’s a kind of labor that makes you feel amazing. Even if you make a mistake, it’s fixable. The results are worth it, and learning about what to do right connects you with others.
Here are a few resources local to Chicago to get you started on the education portion, by the way, we’re zone 5b - that’s important to know when choosing plants:
Every state has an extension agency with great resources on gardening. Here’s the link for IL: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/
The Chicago Botanic Garden website: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/starting_small_space_vegetable_garden
The Chicago Community Gardeners Association website: https://chicagocommunitygardens.org/other-resources/
Any educational videos by Ron Finley, the Gangter Gardener https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdISPtllh1U
And Star Farms can set you up with raised beds to get you started: https://www.starfarmchicago.net/build-me-a-garden
*if you know of another resource that should be added to this list, reach out: homegrownnutritionllc@gmail.com