Organically Speaking

I grew up organic. Tomatoes, peaches, greens, watermelons, even peanuts were grown right there in the dirt for me to see, help tend and ultimately eat. I don’t say enjoy because frankly as a 10 year old I didn’t think there was much to enjoy about shelling peas, but I did eat them. Digging up potatoes and carrots was fun. Peanuts growing underground fascinated me. But pleasure was not a word I would attach to growing a garden. That is, until I bit into a juicy ripe organic tomato grown with love and eaten right there in the garden row. My Papaw or Uncle M would pour salt on the tomatoes from a shaker they retrieved from their overalls pocket and we’d pop them right into our mouths and enjoy their warm sun drenched flavor on the spot. Yum! That was a pure delight. But not shelling peas. Ewe. Not fun.

After fast-food was introduced into my life I got away from eating homegrown goodies. The fast pace of life took over and stores provided everything I could need to feed me and mine, right?

A few years back, a friend of mine wrangled me into going organic again. I wasn’t exactly the most willing participant due to the difference in the price. (I’m cheap. I admit it.) But I tried it out and got the surprise of my life. Over and over again I found myself comparing organic produce to non-organic. And I found that over and over again, when a organic and a non-organic tomato is put side by side and tasted, you can experience firsthand that organic has flavor and non-organic is merely substance. It didn’t take long for me to be hooked on organic. It tastes better and it satisfies. Besides that, I don’t eat as much either. And that’s always a good thing. (Milk proves an interesting taste test too, fyi.)

So why am I going on and on about organic? Because its February, of course! And you know how I have that inner planner going on inside my head. Right now it’s screaming…..”Lesia! February’s almost over and you haven’t planted! Get on it girly!” And so I venture online to look up seed packets and consider ordering them (again) to plant in little cups while I wait for the earth to warm up to its growing season. I consider the flavors they’ll generate and the yummy dishes I can prepare with them. Mmm….delicious! But under it all lurks the memory of shelling peas and freaking out at cold bursts and bugs and such. And the price tag at the organic market becomes clearer. The grocery bill doesn’t seem so out of bounds any more.

Of course, the cattle grazed in fields free of chemicals back then, too. And I can’t imagine Uncle M ever giving them hormones. I’m not compelled to raise cattle for food (though you know how I love the cows that belong to my across-the-river-neighbor). But this growing a garden idea haunts me every year. And here I sit, perusing the seed possibilities and considering yet again how to get a garden going, even after being removed from farm life so long that I’ve forgotten everything except the agony of shelling peas.

Plant or buy? Which should I do? Which will I do? Am I blowing it all out of proportion? Maybe I should start with just one plant, right? Ok. There’s snakes out there too. See. Now I’m being irrational. Will they come into my garden? Will the deer eat my tomatoes? And the badger…what havoc will he wreak? Maybe I should just grow potted herbs inside the house. I could start with Basil. I love Basil! Or Perhaps I could plant a few tomatoes in pots? But then, what of the squash and cucumbers? What to do? What to do? Would you plant or go to the market?