When Brad and I married over 31 years ago, Brad’s idea of a yard was a concrete slab.
by Leanne Smoliak
It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate nice landscaping, he just saw his parents work non-stop on maintaining their yard, which, by the way, was gorgeous. Golf course-worthy grass, borders of geraniums, baskets of impatiens. Not for him, no way, no how.
Time has changed what is important to Brad. We love our home and when you love something, you want to take care of it.
The first thing was the lawn. He started to mow it and edge it, fertilize and care for it. Then came the garden. I was all about the landscaping and the beauty projects—for Brad it was all about really understanding where our food comes from.
When Brad was in hospital in 2019, he had lots of time to research. We have always been advocates of purchasing from local vendors, but he wanted to see what he could grow. He started with a small garden plot on the side of the house marked with a hand-crafted sign: Gido’s Farm est. 2019. Grapes went in first, then tomatoes, lots and lots of tomatoes, along with plenty of herbs. Simple enough.
We are happy to be living farm to table eating
Year two: seedlings. More tomatoes, all kinds. San Marzano seeds ordered from Italy, beefsteak, Roma, zebra, heirloom. Things got out of control. He had so many seedlings that once he got to the 4-inch pot stage he had to give many away. He started most of his herbs from seed too. At this point he outgrew his little garden plot and had to build a big, raised bed and purchase lots more pots. Total number of tomato plants that year? Around 60.
Year three: shelves, grow lights, seedlings and schedules. Brad ordered seeds from all over the world, adding all sorts of interesting vegetables to the garden. Shallots and garlic from Ukraine, asparagus, beans of all kinds, lettuces, carrots of course, radishes, celery, cucumbers. We now have a full-fledged garden without really having much of a garden plot other than the original small plot and raised beds that we keep building here and there. It’s amazing what you can put in a yard without changing the look of the original landscaping. And we had over 100 tomatoes, tucked here, there and everywhere.
Year four: the harvest had us not only eating from our garden all summer long but pickling cucumbers, beets and carrots and canning tomatoes and tomato sauce. We had a fantastic harvest of Evans cherries and grapes. We aren’t a vineyard yet, but Brad has plans, I say with a crooked smile. We have added more fruit trees to the yard. Brad is trying his hand at cultivating plants from seeds of fruit purchased, having had great success with a pomegranate so far. He is taking slips from roses and grapes, determined to start a new plant from an established one.
Brad has fallen in love with learning about and growing food. He is forever watching YouTube gardening channels and purchasing books. He tried different ways to stake the tomatoes—some have simple stakes, some have fancy trellises. It all depends on what website he has been on. Not everything he has planted has been a winner, but what has been a success we devour, raw and cooked. We continue to support our friends at the markets, but we are finding it’s even more fun to pick our own produce. We can’t wait for the early lettuce for our first garden salad and then watch as each day treats us to something new.
We are happy to be living farm to table eating.