Spring has arrived and dark days of winter are a thing of the past for a brief collection of months. Shadows are shorter and the sun seems to last for eternity, bringing light to the soul. We relish in the warm sun that thaws our blood and loosens our muscles, but spring keeps us humbled.
This season can mean either an extension of winter, with wet snowfall that gives rain catchers one last boost of water before the drying heat of summer, or embracing those sunny days where it is completely acceptable to wear shorts and a puffy jacket to till the compost heap and prep garden beds.
Weary of the cold season, we long for the transition: a change in hobbies, a change in habits, and a change in the ecosystem. Nature gets to work, growing bigger trees, producing more flowers, and bringing vibrance to garden beds. It’s a time to start anew and give renewed life to something that’s been sitting dormant.
I never imagined gardening as a hobby. I was raised in a family that believed it was a necessity. A requirement each summer to sow your own food and preserve the excess yields for cold winter days ahead. This mindset prevailed until I read the book The $64 Tomato by William Alexander, in which the author chronicles his gardening journey, exploring whether an organic backyard garden is a proper investment to save on your food budget or just an overpriced hobby. He details the trials and dilemmas of growing a backyard garden in the “wild” by fending off disease and local wild animals that are trying to destroy his quest for the perfect organic heirloom tomato.
Eyes open wide to the impacts of wild nature on the productivity of the vegetable garden, spring takes on particular meaning. Every spring, we aspire to beat the variables, learn from our previous years, and strive to make a better garden than before. Sometimes it’s only to be let down by the wild ride of spring in Montana, which tests our patience to wait and plant after that very last frost—whenever that might be.
These days that sometimes begin with a fresh, fluffy snowfall and by lunchtime transform into a warm, blue-sky afternoon punctuated by the sounds of melting snow trickling through creeks and neighborhood sidewalks create a thrill. And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
May your garden this year be better than ever before!
