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Hey kid, keep outta the tomatoes and parsley Saturday, Sep 13, 2008 By Micki Bare Prior to construction beginning on our new addition back in 1935, I decided to plant my tomatoes, peppers and herbs on the far side of our lot near the fence. At the time, there were no leaves on the trees and the area received enough sun to nourish inch-tall seedlings. Soon the leaves budded, creating more shade than I'd anticipated. And then the construction began. Once the old deck and storage room were demolished, we realized that even the furthest area from our back door would be affected by turned up dirt, sawdust, skid loaders and debris. Hubby and I took action the first weekend after the bricklayer began work on the foundation. We potted the strongest of the seedlings and arranged them near the front porch. I was hesitant to make the move to the front, as I did not know what the neighbors would think of us trying to grow produce where the daffodils were blooming a month before. With the work on the house appearing as if it might wrap up before the end of the decade, Hubby and I sat on the front porch wondering what we should do in regards to landscaping. We began to fantasize about a debris and saw-dust free property. After reading an article about people completely replacing their lawns in the name of all that is green, I approached Hubby. Homeowners are giving up the lawnmower to cultivate fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in their front, side and back yards. Rather than waste money and gasoline on lawn maintenance, folks are saving money on their grocery bills. The article highlighted two couples who decided to create one big garden out of their front lawns last spring. Instead of getting weird looks from their neighbors ? which is honestly what I expected when my tomatoes began creeping higher than our porch ? they actually MET more neighbors than ever before. People began stopping and chatting while the couples were planting and hoeing. Quoting excerpts from the article, I announced to Hubby that I knew what we were going to do with our front yard. There would be no more worry over pick-up games of touch football in the cul-de-sac turning into tackle games on what was left of our grass. There would be no more bald spots. There would be no more coaxing the teenagers to mow before lunch on a sultry Saturday morning. Instead, we could grow rosemary hedges. We could replace the azaleas with blueberries and raspberries. I drew a verbal picture of oregano ground cover, tall tomato trellises and a cucumber vine growing up the side of the porch. "Can you picture it?" I excitedly asked Hubby. Eyes big, jaw skinned from hitting his Timberlands, Hubby mustered up a weak, "We'll see." It was easy to make the case for caring about the planet as well as our grocery bill. It wasn't hard to imagine the health benefits. But to be the first in the neighborhood to create a produce landscape was more than he could fathom at the moment. "It's what the Europeans do!" I retorted, "They don't grow useless lawns." While Hubby has always dreamed of one day visiting Europe, he was not familiar enough with the ways of European suburbia to come back with anything substantial. Instead, he retreated into a conversation about chess with one of our teens, hoping to buy some time and build his case before I began ripping up what was left of our lawn and began mapping out our spring garden. I was rather confident that since no one even noticed that I'd moved our potted garden to the front flower beds, none of the neighbors would take notice if the garden expanded a bit come spring. But it was clear to me that Hubby would not be easily convinced. Not a problem. A visit with my parents should do the trick. After announcing my big plans, Mom readily agreed that the produce landscape was the way to go. "That IS what they do in Europe, you know." Hubby rolled his eyes and then looked at Dad for refuge. Dad handed Hubby a catalog, chock full of landscaping essentials. The next day, Hubby showed me something in the catalog - a plum, nectarine, apple tree that would look lovely in our yard. "It's self pollinating and everything!" I knew he'd get on board. Now for a little clarification. A gentleman stopped Hubby recently and asked, "Are you related to that Micki Bare?" Hubby explained that he was indeed my husband. "Oh, so you're Hubby. Humph. I thought that Hubby character was made up to make other husbands look bad." For the record, yes, Hubby does exist. Although, I will admit, I usually only print the good stuff and I have a knack for creative embellishment. Even so, he really does do the laundry! ------- Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com. |
