Old Time Gardens Don’t Work Today!

[Pompeii]

Old Time Gardens Don’t Work Today!

Cheryl J. Shenkle

August 11, 2021

Old time gardens succeeded by development of a fresh patch of soil every couple of years, loads of manure from the family barnyard animals and having a host of kids to plant, weed and water while Grandpa, Mom and Dad called the shots on fertilizing and harvesting. How many of us today have even a fraction of the necessary ingredients for success? It took an intense amount of work and skills. Failure wasn’t an option because the result was an unsatisfied belly in the winter when the pantry got bare.

In today’s gardens, while we envision those treasured memories, we buy and plant way too many seeds. We feel we can still achieve the same results with simple determination.  When strong muscles, ignorance of Mother Nature’s demands and time constraints collide, it results in poor crops, wasted time and eventually, mental and physical pain. 

By late July the huge garden that was eagerly but poorly planted in the spring became a nightmare of weeds, watering and fertilizer demands about which we knew very little.  Physical injuries and the fact of simply growing older began to prove troublesome.  Who needed all those sickly vegetables after all? 

Enter the supermarket!  With it came higher food costs, older foods, poorer nutrition, less healthy outdoor time, chemically contaminated food and loss of a healthy link to food.  I thought I had won a better life with less work not knowing what my family and I were risking.  There wasn’t even a way to fix it that I could imagine or manage.

Becoming a Master Gardener was the breath of fresh, workable ideas that I desperately needed.  How could I not have known all the information Penn State had to share, but where was I to learn it since my grandparents had passed away and my parents had been too busy at jobs to garden. I had few proper garden tools and no knowledge of new efficient and realistic gardening methods.

I quickly found that I had to stop relying on old methods and start putting my mind where my time and muscle used to be.  I laid out a plot plan of our two acres and addressed the structure of a properly located garden.  We had very dry spots, soggy spots, shade, sun, brush-filled areas, disorganization everywhere and I was barely mobile due to severe joint problems.  I bought a used Golf Cart, a small pull-behind wagon, and took everything I needed to the garden where I could work for as long as I chose and have the luxury of a ride back to the house when I got tired!  Plus, I had the Master Gardener Manual!!

What are the tricks of the trade to avoid pain while gardening?

1. Ergonomics are important to anyone who gardens, particularly those who have health problems or who are getting older.  Young adults would be smart to learn about the correct postures and movements of life. Learn to use tools that fit your body and won’t hurt it.
2. Start small and grow larger gardens each year as you become more accomplished and experienced. Your first garden should be very small and prepared properly a year ahead of time, then soil tested by Penn State in the fall.
3. Learn the difference between a garden guess, a sales pitch and a priceless piece of gardening information.  Start out by first knowing how to succeed.
4. Learn how your garden should look and visit it every day, preferably in the morning and late evening.  Use your walk to stretch, loosen up your muscles and ease your mind.  Be sure to have ergonomic tools at hand, located right where you need them.  Don’t waste energy hauling them from one area to another by hand. Learn the easiest way to do every job in the garden, whether it be posture and balance, a balanced extended tool or when to simply take a break and stop overuse of your body in time to prevent pain. Put a comfy seat near the garden and pace yourself so your gardening experience remains fun and doable.  Take a huge container of water to keep yourself hydrated. Better yet, make your own Haymakers Punch.  Snack directly from your crops for better health and awareness of when crops are ready to pick.
5. Find a way to keep water, fertilizers, tools and equipment right at the garden. 
6. Call the Master Gardener Garden Hotline at your county Extension office. It’s a service of your state agricultural university, which in Pennsylvania is Penn State University.  It’s not a secret that every county provides excellent Horticultural assistance, and it’s all free through trained volunteers.  Come and get it, Master Gardeners are waiting to answer your questions. Think of becoming a Master Gardener as a lifetime experience.  It’s an investment that will net you all of your gardening dreams and which will allow you to share it with others who are searching also. 

Happy gardening with much less pain and much more success!