We have several new people who are doing their best to learn how to grow their own vegetables. Some have been busy harvesting onions and lettuce, one has dug a peck of new potatoes, and another who already has cucumbers coming on, picked eighteen cucumbers one day. He told me his cucumbers should be enough for everyone to get a few.

Our more experienced gardeners are also doing well. One in particular who started his garden in January has already harvested quite a bit as he’s a few weeks ahead of those who opted to wait even though January did have some very tempting spring-like days.

We also have started our garden visits, and visited 3 gardens this week. New or experienced, they were all quite proud of their gardens, and rightfully so. The gardens all showed the amount of effort and time put in, and were thriving under the careful, watching eyes of the gardeners. Peas were pleasingly plump, green onions were turning into fat storage onions, beans, tomatoes, and peppers were blooming and putting out their fruits ready to get large enough to harvest.

I do believe that we will have a good season and the new gardeners will be pleased with their knowledge of gardening, and the more experienced gardeners serving as mentors, will be pleased they can share their knowledge. There is the old saying about teaching a man to fish that with a few editorial changes, is very appropriate for gardening: You can share your harvest with a hungry man, but he’ll soon be hungry again. Teach him to garden and grow and preserve his own food, and he is able to meet his own needs and that of his family.