Farmer Marty(s)

     I was in central New York for Autumn two years ago (holy cow time goes by quickly!!!) and was blown away by the colors of the mountains and hills surrounding me. Autumn is by far my favorite season and I am blessed to have grown up in the Midwest and experience the beauty of all four seasons. As fun as Autumn in New York was, the onset of summer in Ohio, specifically the backyard of my parent's house is first-rate!

     My dad has been dubbed "Farmer Marty" by my friends and I could not agree more. He may not have a garden that requires combines or irrigation system but he does have his own rototiller, rain gauge, wheelbarrow, and borrowed bee hive...his own personal pollination team. This year his garden is full of fruits and vegetables that he tends to daily whether it is watering, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, staking, harvesting, or just simply watching grow. (<--that is his favorite!) He would probably be a champion grower if he entered the fair but we cannot keep the produce around long enough since he loves to share it with neighbors and friends as soon as it is picked! Farmer Marty has an array of "regular" crops that he grows each year and then he also has a few "test subjects" in the ground. The "regulars" include: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, beans, blackberries, and strawberries. His newbies this year are cabbage, jalapenos, and cauliflower. Oh, and the pot of lettuce that he maybe overcrowded, whoops! Farmer Marty is an organic guy, he puts marigolds around the garden to keep the bugs out, he uses natural fertilizer (better known as chicken poop from my aunt's chickens), and even soil with our family's compost-able waste. He combs through garden-tip books which then leads to giddy conversations detailing how one could use coffee grounds, beer, or egg shells to enhance crop production. Let's just say that I know way more about gardening than I ever thought I would even though all I have done to help this year is hand him the plants on the infamous "let's plant the garden day!" On any given day you can find Dad out in the garden with his straw hat on, tank top, and possibly in overalls...no joke, so come on over and eat some yum yums!

   Not to disappoint, the title of this post is Farmer Marty(S) so I must mention that while Dad is in charge of the edible crops, Mom's flower gardens are also stunning. Mom has a perennial garden that blooms all summer long with different flowers of vibrant colors. She also has some potted annual plants and is attempting to grow some herbs from seed. (cilantro, basil, parsley, and dill) Mom is also the main "what do we do with all of this produce?" person so she makes jelly, pies, pickles, cans tomatoes, and decides how to use all of it in our kitchen and meals throughout the summer months. Summer is underway for this Dayton gardening duo! Do you have a garden? What do you like to grow?