Nana and Papa's Garden

Sometimes, when you've just arrived at the home of a friend or family member, and you haven't been there in quite awhile, it's nice to bumble around their house and see what's changed while you were away.

Furniture might be rearranged. Accessories might have been added. Family photos may have been updated. It's interesting to witness how people organize and display their lives, their style, on the palette that is their home. We evolve as days, months, and years unfold before us; we morph to meet our daily challenges and discover meaning in life. The insides of homes offer insights into our personal evolution.

As do our gardens.

My mother- and father-in-law have been interested, if somewhat haphazardly, in gardening for as long as I've been part of their family and, I assume, a few decades before that as well. Each time we visit, there's always a home-grown treat in the yard to enjoy: blueberries hanging heavily from the old trees, blackberries dripping off yards of untamed brambles, potatoes needing digging, and a pot or two of tomatoes adorning the front patio.

This past year, however, their interest in growing edibles evolved from a few pots here and there (to go with the perennial berries) to a full-fledged family garden. Out with the lawn. In with the veggies. This was the [outdoor] transformation I'd heard so much about and was dying to explore. Camera in hand, I made a bee line for the backyard.

This is their garden, viewed from the back patio. In a space that is approximately 15 x 20 feet, they grew enough food last summer to keep in fresh fruits and veggies all season and freeze and can a substantial amount for the winter, as well. The two large trees in the back are mature blueberry bushes that have apparently been there "forever." With a little extra TLC and bird netting stretched over white PVC piping, they were able to harvest and store bumper crops through July and August. What you can't see in this photo are the blackberry bushes to the right, raspberry canes to the left, and a raised bed of about 60 strawberry plants further back.

From this perspective, it's hard to differentiate any plants in the mass of green stems and leaves. Let's get down and dirty and look a little closer.

These beautiful, pink blossoms unfold at the top of potato plants. I think they're pretty in and of themselves, but what lies below is a sight for hungry eyes.

One errant spud has emerged from above the soil. Rest assured he has many friends, hidden, just a few inches down.

Potatoes are on my list of things to try for the first time this year. In fact, my seed potatoes are sitting on top of the piano right now, just itching to get in the ground as soon as I have time. I know my childhood piano teacher would be mortified to know that my antique upright piano is now serving more as a dumping ground for random farm fare and gardening implements than it is an instrument for producing tunes of any kind. I've read that some gardeners actually play music to their plants under the impression that it helps them thrive! Don't worry; I won't be doing that any time soon.

I turn around to spy the yellow squash. Mine are never this prolific! I wonder what their secret is. Remind me to ask them, later.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but these bush beans were so abundant that, toward the beginning of August, my in-laws just stopped picking them. Is there really such a thing as too many fresh beans? There must be, but I've yet to experience it!

Sugar snap peas, grown in pots and supported by tomato cages, punctuate the edges of the garden. This must be an advantage of the mild Oregon summers: I'm pretty sure snap peas in Southern California's summer heat are a climate-prohibited no-no.

A three-foot tall wire fence surround the garden. Its intended purpose is to keep the dog out of the produce, but it also serves as a pretty and practical hanger for curing onions. I love how they lounge, lazily, absorbing the afternoon rays of sun.

My father in-in-law also concocted a green house of sorts by securing sturdy, clear plastic sheeting over the top of an open carport. Giant peppers flourish in the warm, protected area, which is flooded with natural light.

My father-in law also grows sunflowers, but these are actually for the birds. After the flowers open and the seeds swell and harden, they leave them out in the yard through the chilly fall and well into the wet and freezing winter. The seeds are a special offering for the colorful, native birds that also call this garden "home".

I enjoy walking through the interior of friends' homes, admiring recent changes and gleaning ideas that I might someday incorporate into my own life. But more than that, I am positively bursting with giddiness as I head out back and tiptoe through their yards and gardens... just to take a peek and a few pictures.

When it comes to growing your own, there is always more to learn, there are tips and tricks to try, methods to re-evaluate, designs to imitate. Copying is, after all, the highest form of flattery! And when the end result of all of this plant-based plagiarism is both nutritious and delicious, how can you blame me?

Watch out--I may just copy your garden next.