Seduction At A Young Age

A comment by a young clerk at the grocery store prompted this article about the passing on of knowledge to the next generation. She asked what you could do with a domed loaf of bread, cut it like "regular bread?" If this lack of experience exists in youth about something this simple, we are also more than likely failing to educate our young about nature. My parents succeeded, but without a proscribed curriculum.

Little did my parents know that they really taught me about horticultural seduction when I was a tiny girl. Don't get concerned; this is not a R-rated article but it is a description of how the intensity of early experiences can inspire a life - horticulturally. Memories of drives with my dad to wonder at azure fields of flax in bloom are as vivid today as then. Those experiences developed a passion for enjoying and growing beautiful flowers that has lasted all my life. Tromping out tot he raspberry and strawberry patches is another poignant memory not only were there tasty berries to gorge on but there was camaraderie of my family interacting with he people who came to our u-pick operation. Through that I learned about the rewards of raising garden fruits.

Visits to my grandparents introduced me to other aspects of gardening; the charm of unusual vegetables such as the ground cherries that popped out of their papery skins. Shelling peas for dinner taught me that even though I was little, I could still be a productive helper. Eating vegetables out of the garden taught me that I was capable of feeding myself.

As I grew older, my mother's enthusiasm beguiled me out each day to see what was emerging from the ground, how plants grew and what was needed to get them to thrive. She pointed out the pink noses of peonies, the unusual and varied shapes of different vegetables, how mellow soil contributed to healthy plants. She personalized them and animated them. Hoeing, weeding, watering and spading became satisfying because I saw the results.

Winning a ribbon for exhibiting a flower I helped raise was another part of the allure of gardening. Praise and admiration of Mom's garden by her friends and mine introduced me to the social rewards that came from the beautiful, fragrant flowers and the healthy produce we shared.

What we bequeath to our children by our enthusiasm and our interests can't be predicted, but it can lead to a lifetime of intergenerational sharing. Teaching children to protect the soil, the water, and our environment is essential for our world to survive and thrive. Teaching youth interdependence of soil, insects, plants, and us animals for mutual benefit also means teaching responsibility, but it won't succeed unless we first teach them the fascination of nature, to love, and to see themselves as part of it. It is like infatuation - intense, but often shore-lived. True love of our natural world, initiated with enchantment, can be nurtured by older generations who understand it. It can also prevent young people from knowing how to eat a solid loaf of bread, they might even learn where the bread comes from and how to grow their own food.

Cathy Peck,

Beltrami County Master Gardener