... be able to grow his own food.

My Grandfather had a garden.  Two in fact.  One in his backyard and a community garden that he was a part of.  He was responsible for the corn.

I remember from a young age admiring Paw Paw's ability to tend the soil in such a way that produced immaculate fruits and vegetables.  Salads at Paw Paw's house were something to be cherished.  Of course, we didn't appreciate the spinach at that time, but every summer we would cover our faces with sticky peaches.

I had a chance to spend a few hours in the car with Paw Paw the other day.  He can't hear very well, so he likes to do most of the talking (he is 89 now).  I can't think of a better way to spend a couple of hours.  So, I asked him to tell me about gardening.  This is 2 hours distilled down to a few bullet points:

• SOIL - This is the most important thing.  Period.  If you have bad soil, nothing will grow.  You will probably have to amend your soil to some degree with compost or some other organic matter.  
  
  
• While gardening can be a very complex endeavor, Mother Nature is very smart, and generally takes care of things.  You just have to work with her.  There are 5 basic elements to consider.  Soil, Compost, Seeds, Water, and Sunlight.  Now, it is up to you to figure out the right combination.
  
  
• Grow what you like to eat.  There is no use spending any time growing something you aren't excited about.  The reward is what will motivate the effort along the way.  (of course, consult a gardening book or the internet to figure out what grows in your area during any specific season)
  
  
• Start small.  Get yourself a pot and grow tomatoes on your porch or herbs on a windowsill.  You can always expand, but it is pretty hard to put your yard back together.

I'll get started now, and hopefully have some homegrown tomatoes to put on my sandwiches by summertime.  I think Guy Clark had it right...

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