My oldest son has seven more summers before he graduates high school. My husband made that declaration at the beginning of summer, right before the kids were set free for summer vacation. Hearing that timeline made me reflect on my childhood and all the joys I experienced, and to hope that my children will also look back and cherish their summer memories with me. 

The best memories I had with my mom and grandmother during the summer months were gardening, especially when it came to the picking.

It was, and still is, like a treasure hunt to find the ripest or juiciest gems on the stem. Sure, trips to the beach or the mountains were great but for me, picking tomatoes and blueberries ripe off the vine meant it was summer.

Early June, I could always count on my mom and I waking up extra early and loading bucket after bucket with delectable blueberries. My blueberry quota was usually much lower than my mom’s and that’s still the case as an adult. As a child I would get too distracted looking at the scenery – the early morning mist playing among the landscape. While I do think my picking skills have improved, I still find it absolutely impossible to pick a full bucket. These days that is due to my three kids either running like gazelles through the fields, eating their share of berries to the point of turning slightly purple, or going on strike. To be completely honest, it’s probably all of the above. On the other hand, as summer’s bounty continues to flourish, I can pick a tomato like it’s nobody’s business!

If you’ve never picked a tomato ripe off the vine that’s still warm from the sun, then you really should, my friend.

My 100-year-old grandmother still tends to her gardens and quite honestly, her tomatoes are filled with so much flavor you just feel sorry for those imposters being sold in the grocery stores. While my grandmother and mother continue to be successful gardeners, I’ve been neglecting my obvious calling. Just a few years ago, my husband and I thought we could have a blueberry gold mine if we planted our own blueberry bushes. If blueberry bushes could laugh, that’s what they did to us, and then promptly died. This completely discouraged me from gardening. That is until recently.

My middle son came home from school a few weeks ago and talked about planting a garden. Apparently the science lesson was the life cycle of plants. While he’s pretty set on only eating carrots, I started brainstorming. Perhaps if he witnessed the vegetables growing from his own backyard, he would try something new. I figure it’s worth a shot.

Just a few weeks ago, I planted tomatoes, squash, zucchini, bell peppers and cucumbers. In such a short time these tiny green leaves have transformed to massive, blossoming plants. Showing my oldest son our little garden, he exclaimed, “Mom, you must be feeding your garden the same food you feed Luna.” His comparison was to our two-year-old, 110 pound Lab/Shepard pound pup. Fortunately, Mother Nature has been blessing our garden as I either forget to water the garden or, in most cases, the massive puppy bogarts the water dripping from the hose, making it impossible to water anything.

My kids, my dog and my garden are growing so quickly, right before my eyes. This little garden of mine is helping me focus on the passage of time and cherish our summers together.

As with life, obstacles may get in the way of my gardening, but I hope to continue to nourish my children with love, patience, fun, and homegrown veggies so they can enjoy being children of summer.