Gardening by the Generation by Melinda Campbell

Do you remember when you first became interested in growing things?  Did you have a special house plant or did you first put seeds in the ground to watch them grow?   Who was that first person that showed you how to plant something or encouraged you to keep trying to grow that special plant?

            Those of us that love to dig in the soil and grow plants, probably have someone to thank for introducing us to gardening.

            I was blessed with a father that was a farmer by occupation and a gardener by avocation.   He first taught me how to plant seeds as just a little child and encouraged me and my siblings to enjoy eating tomatoes, strawberries and little carrots right out of our garden.  How we loved the summer time and dropping by our garden to have a little snack.   It taught us how good fresh veggies tasted and how to respect the plants.

            Both of my grandmothers had lovely flower gardens and two special aunts (one on each side of the family) gave me a small spot in their garden “to plant what you want”.  When I planted dandelions in one of the gardens, I learned about “not all plants are helpful in our gardens”.   I look back at all these special people, all their patience, teaching, encouragement and love to help me become the gardener I am today.   Unfortunately, I still have much to learn and skills to improve, but it is the journey as one of the “dirty hands people” that is one of my joys in life.

            I think gardeners love to share their knowledge of growing and that each of us has unique opportunities to encourage and educate gardeners to be more successful.  I think it is especially a duty to introduce the children we know to gardening.   I hope all of you were able to have a loved one teach you about plants and growing things.   We can pass on our expertise to all we know, but teaching a loved child about gardening introduces them to a lifetime of satisfaction and joy.

            How great it is to pass on, what my father, grandmothers, and aunts taught me, to my children, grandchildren and now one great grandson.   I hope you all will join me in passing on your knowledge and love of gardening to all who want it, and especially to the children.