Katie's Quiet Garden

Homeschooling and the Hammock 

 By Katie Perry

 I’m not much of a gardener. I have other interests, and besides, gardening always aggravates my allergies. Mostly, I enjoy our yard from a chair or hammock. I like to let nature do what it wants with our outdoor space. It almost always finds interesting and productive things to do. Our kids feel comfortable digging and playing here, and all of us can find a place to enjoy the sunshine or shade.

 Everyone in the family contributes, but my husband Rich and I do most of the yard work. We put in a burst of effort in the spring, pulling weeds and clearing out dead stuff (allergies permitting), and then we let summer and fall roll along with only occasional maintenance. In late winter we prune the fruit trees and grape vines, but some years it never happens. At times, we work alongside the kids, but other times we enjoy working alone, or together as a couple.

 Since no one likes regular watering, our vegetable garden is on hiatus. When we first planted vegetables in 1998, the older kids were 8, 5, and 2. I invited each to pick a vegetable or fruit to grow from seed or start. We worked together on the planting, watering, and tending. We most enjoyed eating what we grew. Over several years, the kids grew cantaloupe, raspberries, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, and carrots. I always chose tomatoes. In his teen years, our son Alex maintained a productive strawberry bed, and he eventually took a college class on growing fruit. Now when he comes home to visit, he often spends time pruning (and there is always plenty to do!).

 More recently, we raised hens. It was another great homeschooling project. We worked together to clear space along the back fence for a coop, which we converted from an old rabbit hutch. We picked out six fuzzy chicks, one for each of us, and started them in a pen in the garage. They grew at an astonishing rate. Soon enough, Lottie, Renee, Rosa, Cordelia, Pippi, and Funky were excellent egg layers, and they entertained us by scratching for bugs, bathing in the dust, and jumping to reach the roses. After several years, we gave them away to friends with a bigger property.

 Today our youngest child attends school, we've graduated two, and we have one remaining 17-year-old homeschooler. Our yard continues to play an important role in our family culture and homeschooling life. It’s a welcoming place, well-loved, but never micro-managed. We encourage it to grow in its own way. When we make improvements, we do it together. We enjoy its natural bounty, and value its peace as a retreat. Our yard is nothing fancy, but it flourishes quietly.

The picture is a favorite spot in the yard.