Virginia’s hardiness zones range from 5A-8A. I happen to live in zone 7A, so follow me for gardening adventures specific to this zone!
Gardening in Planting Zone 7A
The Kitchen: The Heart of Homes
Kitchens are the heart of the home. It’s where satisfying meals and lifelong memories are created and shared. It’s where differences are worked out and trials and tribulations shared. It’s where family gathers. It’s soothing and chaotic. It is love. It is life.
"If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine: plant a garden." -Robert Brault
Hi, I'm Claire Jorgensen.
I did not grow up knowing how to garden, and we never had an edible garden growing up. However, the most precious years of my childhood were spent helping my family in the yard: planting flowers and shrubs, laying rock, pouring concrete, putting up fencing, going to the nursery with my mom, and helping my dad build an extra-large raised flower box for her.
The smell of cedar still brings back all of those memories today. In later years, my dad chose cedar again to build his deck and flower boxes with. My dad passed away a few years ago, and when I’m feeling especially lonely for him, I pull out a handkerchief I keep with cedar oil on it and it makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay. Today, my cedar arbor is my most treasured thing to look at in my backyard. I use it to grow indeterminate tomatoes on!
So, at that home, we lived directly across the street from an old farmer with over 50 acres. He had a teeny, tiny house, couldn’t have been more than one room, and over 50 acres of farmland. He fascinated me and I always wondered what his story was. My six-year-old brain raced with questions. “Where was his wife?” “Did he have any children” “Where was his family to help him plow those huge fields?” I didn’t know, but I came to the conclusion that he really enjoyed being outside by himself. He just seemed so content and peaceful.
My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hahn, asked the farmer for several eggs so she could put them in her classroom in an incubator and give her students a lesson in hatching. He was so gracious and my heart swelled with love for both the farmer and Mrs. Hahn.
Some did hatch, some died. The class was heartbroken. Mrs. Hahn took the dead ones out to the school flagpole and asked the principal to come say the pledge of allegiance with us. To my amazement, he raised the American flag! Back and forth it went, gloriously sending off one chicken spirit after another. At least this is how my six-year-old brain processed it. This was back in the early 80s when a school could actually get away with doing this.
Our neighborhood was just a regular neighborhood, but some things that I got to experience wouldn’t dare go on in today’s HOA neighborhoods. One neighbor called out to all the kids when her cat had babies and we all got to take care of them daily. Another neighbor would wrap bacon around string and give it to us neighborhood kids to take down to the ditches to fish for crawdads. Another neighbor let us kids muck out their horse trailer. My Little Pony was brand new back in the day, so of course we all had to pretend to be one. So began a fascination with horses.
From that day on, I continued to develop a love for country and animals and nature. When I moved to Virginia, I fell in love with her history, her greenery, the people, just…everything.
Please join me in my life here in Virginia, in my kitchen, and in my garden.
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Gardening Wisdom
To plant a seed is to believe in tomorrow...
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.—Marcus Tullius Cicero
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. —Gertrude Jekyll
The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway. – Michael Pollan
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Mike Doe
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Lisa Doe
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Adam & Jasmine
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