G is for Garden

Mamaw’s garden was very large, or we used to think so when we helped her hoe in there to get rid of grass and weeds.

She always planted marigolds around the edges because she said they would keep many pests out.  She would also put eggshells and coffee grounds in there for different things and old shoes in the patch of squash and cucumbers to keep the bugs out.  I don’t know if this remedy worked or not, but she swore by it.  I know nothing got rid of the tomato caterpillars, which were much like the hairy caterpillars we used to catch in jars, but these green worms weren’t hairy and they had a horn on the top of their heads.  They were the ugliest things you’ve ever seen.  Mamaw used to pluck them off with her bare hand.  Yuck!  I swear nothing much fazed this woman.  She did what was necessary at the time.

 Similar to Mamaw's Prairie Bonnet

Mamaw was always in the garden in her big prairie bonnet and would take a basket or bucket with her for picking veggies.  This was after she spent most of the day in the fields alongside the men.

She would save coffee cans and cut the ends out to place over the small tomato plants so they wouldn’t get too much scorching sun when they were young sprouts.

Mamaw would can some things for the winter and had about every kind of veggie in the garden that you can think of, along with watermelon and cantaloupes.  She always had stacks of eggs sitting around her kitchen along with crocks of pickles.  We had to be careful chasing each other in there.

 The side of my grandparent's house.  This is the only pic I have.

Many times all of us girls sat on the planks on her porch with bowls in our laps, shucking black-eye peas, and breaking up snap beans while we laughed and talked, wishing for a breeze to cool the sweat on our faces.