A Gardeners Christmas Season

Woke up this morning with a thrill of excitement flowing through my body, a giddiness if you will. What was on my mind was planting tomatoes. In Utah, the ‘official’ day for setting out tomato plants is Mothers Day. This year that day is May 11. Today is Feb 9th, only three months until I get to set out that most celebrated of warm-season crop, the princely tomato.

My mouth is watering in anticipation of that first bite. Its like looking forward to Christmas day, and I am my own Santa.

The Christmas holiday season traditionally begins after Thanksgiving and runs to December 25. Entire cities decorate themselves and homes are dressed-up in anticipation of the joyous event. People celebrate with parties and gift exchanges.

The gardening season begins quietly with seed and plant catalogs arriving in the mail in early January/late December. We busy ourselves with preparing a list of what we want to grow each new season, and we check it twice. We pour over catalogs with the same child-like delight as with Christmas gift catalogs. We go to sleep at night with visions of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers dancing in our heads. We prepare a ‘special’ place in our homes for seed starting with the same care that we give our Christmas tree. Our target date for the ‘big event’ is the average last frost date. That magical date around which all garden activity revolves.

Every year we pour our hopes for the future into our gardens. We plant seeds in anticipation of reaping the rewards that represents the fruit of our labor, much as Christmas represents the hope of all mankind.

We share our bounty with friends and neighbors for this is a time of celebration. We are acknowledging and validating our future. I cannot help but get giddy when I see gardening from this perspective.

Whatever plants you look forward to nurturing into full bloom, I hope every attempt is fruitful and that you celebrate it for the miracle it is.

Happy Gardening to All and to All a Good Crop.