Garden for All

This story of effort, perseverance, and payoff celebrates a backyard tradition that nourishes people and assorted critters, from raccoons to deer, squirrels to bees, songbirds to earthworms. Everyone is welcome in the garden!

Caring for a garden is a year-round job, one that brings joy in the planning as well as in the eating. In between there is a lot of work: preparing the ground, taming the weeds, harvesting tasty fruits and vegetables, canning or freezing to enjoy through the winter.

Cali and her mother begin by looking at the seed catalog and deciding what to grow. They rake and smooth the garden patch. They plant the seeds, label the rows, and water the thirsty shoots.

As they work, creatures of all shapes and sizes make the garden their home, helping to enrich the soil. Ducks and deer and bunnies nibble on the greens. Birds and butterflies visit for shelter and for nectar.

The garden is generous: string beans, zucchini, brussels sprouts, beets, peppers, swiss chard. Cali and Mom gather the roots and the leaves. They chop and blanch and can. They line their pantry shelves and admire the vibrant colors.

Back outside, the garden’s inhabitants—both aboveground and below—make use of the vines and the sunflowers, the stems and the scraps. The garden is always there, protecting and nourishing all of nature’s inhabitants. And Cali and Mom are always looking forward to the next season.