When we were looking for a home in the Boise area, we had
dreams of a large garden where we could grow tomatoes, squash, cucumbers,
melons, and even fruit trees. We ended
up on a windy hillside with a spectacular view and significant barriers to
cultivating a vegetable garden. But we
were determined to produce something on our sagebrush littered hillside. The
task was daunting so we started off small by repurposing a tulip bed at the
back of the house for growing berries.
We made a trip to Fruitland Nursery where we bought strawberry and
raspberry starts.
In the past I’ve avoided planting a strawberry patch because
I’ve seen one too many weedy grass choked beds of tangled strawberries. Thankfully, the rich soil of our little
flower bed, with the help of some Miracle Grow time-release fertilizer and a
simple drip-hose watering system, produced five or six pickings of luscious
glossy strawberries that taste better than any strawberries I’ve ever eaten. My grandson can testify to that as he ate one
whole picking all by himself. The berries are beautiful
and I am grateful we didn’t procrastinate.
The raspberries will
not produce much until next summer but the few that ripened this year have such
a rich color and flavor that we are motivated to expand our little berry patch
into two separate beds next spring. It
will be well worth the work and at a very small expense give us a great sense
of accomplishment and a tasty harvest.
I have to
confess that we also planted three fruit trees which did not survive our
experiment but we are not defeated, thanks to our little berry patch. We have
planted not just for ourselves but to the benefit of our grandchildren and
whoever may own this home in the future.
Planting and harvesting breathes a little more pleasure, a little more
hope, and a little more faith into every day.
Maybe it won’t be a garden we plant or fruit we harvest but investing in
any long-term reward will make the world a better place for everyone.
