Mom's Garden

Entering Mom's Garden in Azusa, CA

The winter months may put a pause on gardening adventures, but it can be a wonderful time to plan and envision what we want our gardens to look like during the height of the growing season to come! Sometimes the best way to plan ahead is to reflect on the past, see what worked before, what did not work, and what we want to improve or start anew.

Today, I reflect on my time gardening in my mom's backyard in Azusa, California with photos and excerpts from my garden journal. Azusa is a suburb about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. Like most of the Los Angeles, it is densely populated and the only green that can be found are on front lawns and center dividers. My Mom moved into her quaint house in January of 2012. While my parents had been divorced since 2006, and I had begun to find peace with the state of our family, it was difficult for me to accept this new house and new space into my life. This difficulty created a distance between my Mom and I, whom I am very close to. She was at her new house working on making it a home, and although she invited me over often, I was hesitant to go. 

My brother contributed his efforts into the remodeling of the house and did a brilliant job. This made me think, how was I going to contribute? Was I ready to contribute? But first, I had to open my eyes to see how happy my mom was and be happy for her. During this time I was interning at the Garden School Foundation, and was very much into gardening and learning all there is about it. While the inside of my Mom's house was beautiful after the remodeling, the backyard needed much more love. When I noticed the emptiness of the backyard, I found my place to contribute.

Creating a garden for my mom brought us closer, beautifying her home and our relationship. Over the summer, that distance between us was bridged by endless red cherry tomatoes; cooking with herbs of thyme, sage, basil; harvesting purple black beauty eggplants, bright yellow zucchini, cilantro, Serrano peppers, and Chile de Arbols, just to name a few... 

 Spring and Summer 2012

Sweet Cherry tomatoes to savor and share!

These flowers splashed some color onto the concrete walls.

This tomato plat grew mammoth in size!

Peppers: Serrano, Jalapeno, Chile de Arbol.

Serrano Perrpers! Hot, Hot, Hot!!

Zucchini Squash growing wildly in Summer. 

  In summer, squash and eggplant grew in this versatile spot. 

 

I'm astonished at how a small space of land can give so much!

Baby herbs of rosemary, lavender and basil in our herb bed. 

Sauteed zucchini with tri-color sage.

 May 21st, 2012

"Just sautéed the golden zucchinis I harvested last week from mom's garden and they were delicious! I'm really proud of myself for growing and cooking what I grow. It makes me feel self-reliant and creative.

It was only two zucchinis but I still have some left over! How filling two zucchinis can be! Everything except for the pepper, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese, I grew from the garden. I sautéed the zucchini in olive oil, with Italian Basil, Tri-color Sage and Winter Thyme. While the garlic salt flavor was over-powering, I think it was a good blend of herbs. I also sprinkled some Parmesan on top. 

Zucchini Fries!

I can't wait to cook more from the garden! I have jury duty this week but Monday is Memorial Day, so I'll garden with mom then." 

I made zucchini bread for Grandma and Grandpa Ma.

Fall 2012

In October, we planted lettuce, a fall crop. 

October, 2nd 2012

"It's truly amazing how the transformation of being in a garden or merely surrounded by green plants takes place on the senses. I always seem to feel a little more whole, alert, alive, and humbled by the beauty, creativity, and intelligence of Mother Nature. Today I selected a variety of lettuce: Bib, Oak Wood and salad blend varieties for mom's garden. I also purchased some colorful Snap Dragons in pink, white, yellow, orange and maroon to add some more color to our canvas of gray concrete."

Leafy Lettuce!

SNAP Peas grow wildly on tomato trellis.

Crunchy and fresh snap peas!

Snap Pea flowers look like dragons!

Nasturtiums found their way under orange tree.

Garden Gifts

October 2nd, 2012

 "Growing beautifully are the jasmine, which give wonderful aromatic flowers I love to surprise mom with, by placing them by her restroom sink." 

A bouquet of lavender and sunflower.

Jasmine flowers grow from the vine on the left up the pea trellis.

 

Bouquet of basil bolts, arugula flowers & thyme.

Dried wild flowers still make pretty bouquet.

Garden Surprises

 October 3rd, 2012

"It was a beautiful morning to work, to feel the soil, to mold and be part of the earth which we are a part of and one day will return. I feel like I have a purpose and feel much accomplished after working in the garden. While I fight it often, I can't deny it feels good to be a part of something bigger. I feel this way when I work in the garden. 

The sweat, the strength, the love, I give all the good of me to it, and I hope it will reflect in its beauty and in the joy it brings my mom. My mom has always provided for me, and I hope my garden will give her bountiful amounts of crisp, green lettuce now, and a lifetime of fulfillment, enjoyment, and self-reliance."

When all hope was lost for carrots, voilà!!

Crisp and fresh lettuce grew along with pepper plant.

Strawberry!

A baby pumpkin!

Jet, my trusted garden friend.

*Photos by Tiffanie Ma