his wife, Naomi, moved to their current residence in 1976, they planted a garden along the road between the house and railroad tracks. In 1995, they opened their gift shop, Violets & More, facing the original garden and turned a hay field behind the gift shop into another large garden. In addition to enjoying the produce in season, much of their garden’ s bounty is preserved for the months ahead. For the pantry, cucumbers are pickled, tomatoes are made into juice, and green beans are put up in Mason jars. Lima beans, peas and sweet corn go in the freezer. Freezing corn is a process that includes boiling 80 ears of corn at a time in a stainless steel kettle heated with a propane burner. A thousand ears of corn are processed in one picking. About a week later, the process begins again for the second and final picking of the season. The day-long job is a great way for Eldon and Naomi to spend time with their family.“ When we have everybody working together, it makes it fun,” Naomi says.
SHARING NATURE’ S BOUNTY Bob Small of Waynesboro, Pa., also has been gardening all his life.“ I learned how to spade the garden when I was a little guy,” the retired schoolteacher says. In 1957, he moved to his current address and planted a garden the following spring. Over the years, he and his wife, Pat, preserved the bounty of the garden by freezing corn and canning zucchini relish, tomatoes, red beets and green beans. These tasty and healthy foods were enjoyed by Bob, Pat, and their two sons, Bob and Tim. Bob always raised more produce than his family needed and began sharing with relatives, friends, and neighbors.“ When I have something extra, I hate to see it go to waste.” He also donates produce to The Lunch Place at Christ United Methodist Church in Waynesboro, Pa., which has served a free weekday lunch since 1990. Widowed since December 2009, Bob still plants his garden every spring.“ I love to work outside, and I love to work in the garden because my roots are there.”
Whatever your goals in the garden, Annette advises starting small because a surprising amount of produce can be grown in a four-foot by eight-foot bed.“ Place your garden in full sun because most vegetables need at least six hours of sunlight a day,” she says.“ And make sure a water source is nearby.” Annette also suggests considering a raised bed because it is easier to maintain, drains well and warms up faster in the spring. Bob explains that it is important to use plenty of organic fertilizer such as leaves, grass and compost.“ It helps keep the soil loose and rich in nutrients.” Finally, Annette says, grow your favorites.“ If you go bonkers for beans, plant a row,” she says.“ Grow what you love to eat and you will always have tasty, healthful food that appeals to you.” §
MORE ONLINE WWW. HAGERSTOWNMAGAZINE. COM
Visit Online Exclusives for planting pointers for herbs, easy-to-grow vegetables and more gourmet delights to increase your garden-to-table success.
Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond March / April 2013 93