Naomi learns...gardening?

Naomi Learns... a series about learning new things, the challenges and the triumphs.

I am going to start this post off being completely transparent. This should be titled "Naomi learns new ways to kill plants". Okay, now that we have that out the way. I have a huge yard about ? -? an acre and besides a few trees (more on that later), it is barren. Last year, I felt inspired and determined that I was going to overcome my well documented reputation amongst friends and family as the plant killer. So I headed to the local home improvement store and big box store to stock up. This was inspired by months of researching homesteading and watching hundreds of survival videos on Youtube followed by a purchase of over 35 acres in an undisclosed location. Yes, I am that person. Burdened with the knowledge that you won’t last very long without the ability to grow food, I decided to give it a good try. 

I started with basil and a few other herbs. I watered them every day. Even covered them in the cold. I was so excited that by month six they were still alive. Then, I got too ambitious. I purchased multiple fruit trees, berry bushes, and herbs. My primary goal was to learn to grow somethings that were edible. Now, one thing I forgot to mention is that I have dogs, very large dogs. One in particular was a high energy puppy and nosey. Every few days she would turn over my plants and taste them. Since, I didn’t have anything toxic it was all just fun for her. I finally got her to leave them alone, but she started digging. Yes, I know she was bored. She worked particularly hard on one hole. As it turned out,  it was the exact size I needed for a pear tree I bought and it was perfectly inline with the other for trees I inherited! Bonus! 

I drug out my pear tree and dropped it in the hole. To my surprise my dog attacked the tree. We ended up playing tug of war with my poor baby pear tree. I finally got it in the hole and it looked like it could use another inch or two dug out. I grabbed my shovel and got to work. The dog went berserk. Attacked the shuffle and the tree. She was inconsolable. I had to lock her up to finish planting the tree. That night I let her out and in the morning noticed the tree had been dug up. I went out to put it in its place and Kiwi tried to defend her hard won hole from the tree. This went in for weeks. I would research some new way of keeping her from digging it up and she would proof the attempt a waste. She lost interest in digging it up completely and focused on shallow hole around it. I too lost interest. By then, I had planted 2 more trees. My dog livid that the "shovel" was digging holes, dug up every one. Weeks spanned into months of trying to get the trees to stay upright. Eventually. we settled on a compromise. In the meantime, she ate the strawberry plants, and all the other things I planted. 

Everything accept the three fruit trees I planted are dead. They are all slanted and the dog even today goes crazy when I go near any of the trees or pick up a shovel. But they survived. A month ago, I was standing outside admiring the fact that something had made it. I did it! I grew trees. My landscaper, who I use only to cut my yard, joined me in staring out at my yard. “Boy”, he says, “real shame those idiots planted these trees this way. I mean what idiots plant trees in a line, mixed them with fruit trees and they are all leaning over. Must of been drunk when they planted them. Complete idiots.” “Yep, idiots”, I said avoiding eye contact. 

The real problem is that I grew up with old school Texans around, namely my grandfather. He was both a military man and a serious country boy. He would tend to his garden like his life depended on it. Having survived the Great Depression, jumping out of airplanes onto enemy territory in World War II, and growing up in the backwoods of Texas, having an understanding and respect for plants as food took on a whole new meaning for him and his generation. Growing up, my older brother would work in the yard with him. He had to work the yard trimming the yard with scissors for precision. My brother tells the story as, “My grandfather used to make me cut the yard on my hands and knees with scissors.” As a child, and never one to stay in my place, I complained that he got to go outside and play with granddad and scissors. Tiring of my harassment, my grandfather eventually allowed to be outside and “play” trim the yard with scissors. I remember the times as me on my grandfathers back, me dropping seeds in holes my brothers dug and me climbing trees to reach the biggest peach, collecting pecans to shell for pecan pie and praline, and so on. The lessons were cut short when my grandfather was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and became ill around the time I reached 8. The times of gardening were over and replaced with my grandfather’s confusion and belief he was still in enemy territory. He woul would set brooms on fire in the middle of the night on the back porch from his wheelchair to send signals to be rescued. The once most beautiful garden in the neighborhood withered away and so did my grandfather. No one in my family gardened again.  

It is pretty amazing what you bury and how suddenly it comes rushing back by an unexpected trigger. I never thought about my reasons for avoiding gardening. Until I went to do it. I bought a peach tree. Our yard used to be full of them growing up. I had a visceral reaction and it took months to build up to buying it. I found myself eyeing it from my back porch with mixed feelings. While my grandfather would certainly have a great deal to say about a country girl not maintaining a proper garden, I think he would be proud of my little peach tree and upset it was crooked. 

What I learned: 

1. As tempting as it may be, planting in a hole dug by a dog may not be a great plan.
2. Puppies and gardens are a tough mix
3. Apparently, trees are good at surviving. I planted them God watered them. It worked despite a rough start. 
4. Sometimes the reason we avoid, dislike, or aren’t good at something might be more complicated than you realize. 

When was the last time you tried to learn something new?