When I was growing up, my Dad had a beautiful garden at the side of our yard. We grew everything; carrots, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers – you name it. My favourite thing to grow was squash. Not because I like squash, but my Dad had this little plastic mould he would grow the squash in that made it look like a little smiling head. Now, that sounds totally creepy. 

My Dad’s pride and joy was at the end of the garden, which was specifically for his tomato plants. He grew cherries, beefsteak and other kinds. He babied them; growing them inside until they were ready to be put outside, covering them every night, and then carefully ripening them at the end of the season if needed. The result was always the perfect, most delicious tomatoes you had ever tasted. 

When we moved to B.C., the weather was so different from Red Lake, Ont., that it has taken my Dad years to get back in his tomato groove. He’s got it all figured out now, and once again he is growing tomatoes. 

This year, I think I’m ready to try gardening for myself. Carrie White and I bought ourselves a plot in the community garden, and spent the weekend preparing it with the other members of the Jasper Local Food Society. It was incredible the help that has been offered to us newbies on the gardening scene. We have so much information, I think we could grow anything now. 

We learned how to prepare the plot and remove the sod. As I awkwardly struggled with a shovel, someone quickly showed me the wonders of an edger, and helped me remove the first few pieces of grass. By the time we finished up the job, we had a team of about 10 people helping us – all for our tiny four-by-eight-foot plot. 

Then came the advice on compost. How much to use, where to put it in your soil and whether to use egg shells or not. The answers were lots! Everywhere! And absolutely!

Where should we put our beans and peas? The wonderful gardeners had an answer for that question too; up the fence after you dig out the sod along it. 

Before we knew it, our plot was done, our seeds were purchased and it was time to relax and wait for the soil to be moved so we can plant. 

But I was still stymied about the tomatoes, and I just couldn’t have a garden without them, so I called up Dad. The result was an hour-long phone call where I learned everything I ever wanted to know about tomatoes. I didn’t even have a pen to write it all down, so the information is floating around in my head ready to be planted  – almost literally. 

Dad spoke of tomato infrastructure, the proper covers, what types to buy, where to put them, exactly how much sun and water they need, when to bring them in at night, when to just cover them and so on. It was great to have a tomato guru at hand. I hope he doesn’t mind my constant phone calls throughout the season. I also warned him that should my tomatoes fail, I’ll be raiding his patch, so it is a good idea for him to make sure I succeed. 

So, wish this intrepid gardener luck, and please, help me cheer on my tomato plants. I’ll keep you posted on the goings on of my garden throughout the growing season. 

DISCLAIMER: The Last Word is an opinion column, it is meant to provoke thought and debate. As such, any opinions written here are the writer’s own and do not reflect the viewpoint of any other Fitzhugh staff member or the directors of the Jasper Media Group Inc.