Once a pool that beckoned to children, now a vegetable garden satisfying stomach, soul
Never did I think, when taking a cool dip 36 years ago in our newly constructed in-ground cement swimming pool, that it would become a garden, and I’d be hoeing weeds from around five rows of vegetables and picking field peas from the bushes.
That was the farthest thought from my mind back then, when my smart and sweet husband, Harry, suggested we have a pool put in our back yard. His thought was if it would keep me and my daughter-in-law at home, enjoying the water while working on our tan, instead of traipsing to Hilton Head Island for sun and fun, it would be worth it.
Plus, it benefited him keeping the women nearer the kitchen so as to stir the cook pots.
The pool, though covered during the winter months, was pure enjoyment for everyone from April through October. It was the perfect place to cool off and relax, especially after gathering vegetables from the large garden we planted annually in the field adjoining our yard.
With the grandchildren coming along and living next door, just a hoot and holler from the pool, birthdays were big-time party time. We set up and decorated tables under the shade trees. We had birthday cake, ice cream and gifts, and spread folding chairs for adults. But the piece de resistance was the pool, with its cool, gurgling water reflecting aqua blue from decorative tiles lining the top edge.
A steady line of young’uns waited their turn at the diving board, trying to decide what fancy dive to try next. They ended up holding their nose and jumping in feet first instead.
The screened in open-air building we constructed adjoining the pool decking — still called “the Shack” — was the site of many hotdog parties for neighboring children during summer.
The Shack — complete with sink, running water, refrigerator, a Bayou Classic two-burner propane stove and picnic table — makes a perfect gathering place, something everyone living in our rural lowcountry can use. It didn’t need to be someone’s birthday to have a party as long as there was a pool full of water and good food around.
But time can’t hold the years back, or keep grandchildren from growing older, away from childhood festivities and into a life of their own. They had less time for pool activities at Pop and Meema’s home.
Still, we older folks had the pool to ourselves with cousins our own age from Stoney Creek coming over for water aerobics and late afternoon swims. “Friends are flowers in the garden of life.”
Time also can’t hold back the wear and tear on cement walls of a pool. Despite continuous scrubbing and chlorinating, a bad case of black algae set in, and we decided to demolish an asset we had really enjoyed.
The metamorphosis
We hired nephew Jerry Kerby to demolish and fill in the pool, and he took 10 dump-truck loads of dirt, each averaging 16-18 yards per load.
The area remained desolate for over a year until we decided to fence it in, lay off some rows and plant a small garden. We had given up planting a larger garden in the field because I was done having to spray all the bushes with my eggnog-mixture every other day to keep deer from devouring them.
At least with this smaller area, the garden could be contained within fencing to keep wildlife out. Sons Harry Jr. and P. J., busy as bees, erected an 8-foot fence of chicken wire and connected a sprinkler system to keep plants watered in times of hot days and no rain.
We started late with our garden idea, so it was going to be an early summer garden, not a normal spring garden. At least, when checking with the almanac the moon phase was good. Not that we were planting “on the moon,” but my daddy always said to think of peas as a root crop and plant on dark nights, when the moon’s going down, or you’ll end up with “all bush and no peas.”
Harry Jr. took the Roto-tiller through the garden gate and laid off five 30-foot rows to plant. Preparations continued: fertilizing by hand, hoeing, sowing plants and pea seed, covering with soil and tamping down. “A garden,” I’ve heard it said, “is a friend you can visit anytime.”
Enjoying the harvest
The pea seed we used were a one-of-a-kind field pea, handed down from my daddy. The seed, a slender, “brown-soup” pea when cooked, had been saved in our freezer for over 15 years. But when those frozen seed hit the warm, moist soil, they were sprouting in three days.
Of two rows of peas planted, we harvested nigh on 2 bushel of peas, enough for several cookings and 10 bags for the freezer. We also tried a new way to cook them, suggested by reader William Johnson of Fancy Gap, Virginia: fried with streak-o-lean. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. They’re tender and crispy.
The other rows were planted with tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, eggplant, cantaloupe, cucumber and a variety of sweet peppers. It’s been pure summer delight, especially having to stay home during a pandemic, to see and harvest vegetables from our small garden, glistening with morning dew and later buzzing with pollinators as the sun sets.
If you have vacant, unused space in your yard, grab a hoe, a pack of seed and plant a garden. As the saying goes, “Gardening adds years to your life, and life to your years.”
Jean Tanner may be reached at jstmeema@hargray.com.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 12:05 PM.