Lettuce grows in a greenhouse at Genesis Growers in St. Anne, IL. Genesis Growers runs a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program distributing its fresh produce to more than 200 local families. (JCI Photo / Todd Bennett)

An excerpt from my Tennessee Home & Farm article “Lessons From the Garden:” 

The dew had almost dried on the warm spring morning. After long winter hours of studying the Old Farmer’s Almanac and finding the right phase of the moon, my dad chose this Saturday in April to plant the family garden.

Dad added fresh gasoline and checked the oil in the 1950s Troy-Bilt tiller. A few sputters and clinks later, the motor churned, caught and pulverized the soil. Soon, the sweet smell of fresh-turned earth permeated the country air.

Spreading a wagon load of dried manure and turning it under, he was ready to lay out the rows in an east to west direction. This is where I came in. Breaking a short stick from the backyard pear tree, I unwound a ball of string collected over the winter. Cutting and tying one end to the stick and pushing it into the top of the row with the opposite end approximately 50 feet below would make for a straight furrow.

Standing at the end with both hands on his hips, Dad surveyed the row.

“Make your first row straight and the others will follow. Also, allow space between rows. Too close and you can’t plow between the plants. Too much, and ground space is wasted.

Was it Gibran the Prophet, who said, “Allow space in your togetherness…?””

To read the full article, click here. 

Carolyn Tomlin is a Jackson, Tennessee-based author that has been writing and publishing since 1988. She has authored 19 books and more than 4,000 articles in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Kansas City News, American Profile, Tennessee Home & Farm, Home Life, Mature Living, ParentLife and many others.