I don’t know of anyone who loves Spring as much as I! What a wonderful time to work together with friends. At least six different families have visited my back yard this spring with a shovel. It has rather a good/bad feeling to it. I have spreaders and volunteers and producers that others, with the tight economy, are wanting. I like to think of it as buddy system gardening. When my rhubarb goes a bit nutso, it gives me the opportunity to share with ones who want it as well as those less fortunate. A wonderful example for the kids and a great feeling for me comes from it; however, I am so darn personally attached to my garden and yard!

Last battle for Spring.

I ended up with nutso amounts of rhubarb by sharing. I realize that sounds weird, but approximately 6 years ago a couple of ladies wanted pieces from my rhubarb plant. Since it was early spring, I let them dig it up, cut off a few chunks, and put it back in. A bit to my surprise, they broke off a few extra pieces that then rooted. I now have 3 very large healthy plants.

Rhubarb in the distance in Spring glory.

I’ve had tomatoes volunteer in the garden as well. Since I grow heirlooms, I know they are good reliable plants so I end up giving them away. I grow very specific ones purposely in my garden for seed saving, so even with many plants showing up looking great, they don’t fit into the rotation needed for seed preservation. I end up with a great opportunity to share and others just want a free plant that will produce. Both needs are met.

Buddy Renee asked to pick one weed, and there she is staring at it. Ah, I still love her even if she can’t pick weeds.

I also have a neighbor that grows different varieties of cucumbers than I, and her plants produce like crazy. Thus, I can keep to one variety here for seed saving and pickling, and I benefit from her plants for diversity in our diet. In return, I always start tomato plants and pepper plants for her. It’s nice to keep the “babies” close to home, so I can see how they grow in her yard.

Raspberries are also a great sharing plant. Their runners are eager to take off each year, so I frequently get to share with others who want them, rather than people spending about 6 to 7 dollars per plant. The most fun part for me is how our beds got started! I had a neighbor share a few runners with us. Then another shared. Then another. Then yet another. I have at least 5 varieties presently in our yard, and by so having, we get raspberry production from early summer well into the fall! Each one produces at a different time, so as one is finishing, another is starting up! Since raspberries are my absolutely most favorite fruit, I don’t mind spending the entire summer tending to the raspberry plants.

I’ve also shared extra pumpkin starts from the garden (daughter put like 15 seeds in the hill and they all germinated!), garlic chives, regular chives, and strawberry plants from in the rocks no less. They are now other people’s babies.

Sharing blesses me. I can smile with the enjoyment of sharing. I manage to get “weeds” (unwanted plants) out of the yard and let them become something special to others. Additionally, there comes the excited reports of how things are growing and taking off! I help others get more thrilled about their gardening and production! Silly as it may be, I then gain more people to discuss my enjoyment of gardening and more diverse ways of using produce. That, perhaps, is my most favorite part–friendships.

You can also find Moopsee at Yahoo’s Canning2.

Interested in contributing a guest post to the Farm Bell blog? Read information here for Farm Bell blog submissions.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.