I was 14 when they passed away, and at the time I didn't realize what impact they would have on my life or how much I would appreciate the time I had spent with them. Throughout my life I hadn't gardened much or even gave it a second thought. I grew up, went to college, went to work, got married, had kids, decided I didn't like working for someone else and quit my job to start my own architectural design business.
After I got married and we bought our first house, the memories of my childhood started coming back. I remembered what is was like to work outside in the gardens and just "be" out in nature. It wasn't long before I put in our first garden which planted the "seed" for my new obsession. All the memories of working with my grandfather came flooding back and I soon wanted to learn as much as I could about gardening. Through several life events we became more aware of the state of our food system and the affect bad food has on our bodies. We became more conscious of what we ate and the impact it had on our health, so we became vegetarians, eating mostly organic, non-processed food. This change has made a huge impact on our lives and has fueled my gardening obsession into the desire to grow as much as our own food as possible and share the ideas and information with others.
I used to live in CT, in a suburban neighborhood, with my beautiful wife, two beautiful daughters, two dogs, four cats, a rabbit and two ducks, dreaming of someday moving to Vermont and starting a small organic farm, where I can trade my home office and computers for a barn and a tractor! As of June 2024, we are now living in Middlebury, VT on a 4 acre farm just outside of the center of town. Once we get settled and regroup we will be starting our farming venture. Stay tuned for more updates and a new farm name!
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!
Rob
Posts
Hello! I'm dropping in after seeing your dibblers on Deborah Jean's Dandilion house. You have a beautiful blog and I look forward to following along.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny, thank you and thanks for stopping by!
Delete~Rob
Hello Rob; Saw your beautiful dibblers on Deborah Jean's Dandilion House blog. The dibblers are beautiful. I also enjoyed reading your story. My grandparents were an influence in my life, too. Some of the best memories I have are when we lived nest door to them.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following your blog.
Take care,
Emily
Hi Emily,
DeleteThank you for the compliment on my dibbles and thanks for stopping by!
~Rob
Hello: I discovered your blog while doing some research for a presentation on season extension. Just wanted to say your cold-frame designs are great!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you found them useful!
DeleteI just discovered your blog while looking for greenhouse ideas and I have read through a lot of it already. You remind me of my dad. His two passions were gardening and building furniture and I spent lots of time watching him and learning. They were my most cherished times. He passed long ago but his spirit will always be with me, especially as I inherited his love of those two things as well. Thank you for bringing back memories of the peacefulness that I always felt during those special times with my dad.
ReplyDeleteDiana, thank you for your nice comments! Every time I am in the greenhouse or gardens I relive the memories of working side by side with my grandfather. Hopefully I am passing those same memories down to my children and his legacy will always live on. Thanks for stopping by! ~Rob
DeleteHi, I am a New Zealander who is married to an American. I spend some months each year in the Sullivan County area of upstate New York. I have a thriving garden here in New Zealand right now but when I try to grow anything in America it all fails miserably. Our house there is in a wooded area and there are so many creatures that eat everything I do manage to grow. We don't have that problem in NZ! We are wanting to build some sort of greenhouse where we can grow things without fear of it all being eaten before we get to enjoy it. I am eyeing your greenhouse plans and think we could build one this summer while I am there. Can you grow things like spinach and kale inside the greenhouse or would it get too hot?
ReplyDeleteThanks. Helen
Hi Helen,
DeleteIt would get too hot in the larger greenhouse, especially during the height of summer, but you could use the mini-greenhouses. I use then to start early crops like kale and spinach and in the summer I take the roof panels off so it doesn't get too warm inside. You could cover with shade cloth or screen to keep the critters out. I also use them in the fall and winter to extend the season.
Hope this helps!
~Rob
Thank you Rob! Really helpful! I love your blog. Your photos are so beautiful and there is such a wealth of valuable information here, especially for an import like me :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Helen!
DeleteHi Rob, I love your site/blog…I am writing a book called The Organic Composting Handbook and wondered if you'd like me to link to your blog in the Resources section?
ReplyDeleteI live in West Brattleboro, btw, and found you when I searched for an image of the Community Garden at the Putney Food Coop. Do you guys still live in CT? Are you following your dream to move to VT and all? I'd love to feature you in my book…. email me at dede (at) greenwriterspress.com. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to link to my blog as a resource for your book! I will send you an email shortly!
DeleteThanks, Rob
Love your log Rob! I too was greatly influenced in my gardening bug by my grandparents. Grandfather died before I was born, he was much older than grandma, but their gardens and gardening planted the seeds in my little brain that matured later in life as I became a biologist and sustainability teacher based on their early examples. Love that you are not only doing it at home but at work too!
ReplyDelete