DEB'S HISTORY WITH GARDENING





IT STARTED LONG, LONG AGO



I have had a fascination with plants as long as I or anyone else can remember.





Digging in the dirt on a Sunday morning was not unusual. However, I don't remember Mom scolding me for my creativity and love of the earth.





When I was old enough to be in 4-H, I took on the responsibility of getting the flowers going around our farmhouse in Sunset Hills. i was either gardening, running through the woods looking for interesting bugs or plants, or riding my horse





We had a pretty good sized garden. Mom taught me how to grow and can the produce from it. I also exhibited in the county fairs in the 4-H program. Fresh food has been a staple for me all my life.





In the summer, we would pick, clean and weigh the tomatoes, then head off to Kirkwood to sell them out of the back end of Mom's station wagon. With the money I earned, I was able to buy my first horse. In 4-H, I learned horsemanship (front row center below). I also did product judging as a competition at the county fair (I'm the one at the end of the table).