The Life of A Garden

I haven't written about my garden for quite some time (or so it seems to me). I have been busy on other subjects and busy enjoying the fruits and vegetables of my original labors. But now, I return to the garden.

My garden no longer is the vibrant, colorful always growing eden that it was.
Its childhood and teenage period, when the plants concentrated first on survival and then on the early growth, has been left far behind.
Its young adulthood, when the plants were the most productive combining the further establishment of a strong and broad root system and were just beginning to produce their tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and lettuce has passed and is but a distant memory.
Its middle adulthood, when the plants matured their stalks and became prolific producers of fruits and vegetables which were enjoyed on an almost daily basis, recently came to an end.
Its late middle age and early old age now is upon us and although the garden no longer is vibrant and active, and many plants are withering and dying, but it remains productive as
the latecomer tomato plants that resisted growth and maturity for so long finally have produced at lest a few tomatoes each although the opportunity for those tomatoes to ripen on the vine is questionable.
the large lush tomatoes continue to grow and mature into their delicious redness,
the cherry tomatoes continue to provide an early morning and pre-dinner treat for there is nothing as satisfyingly tasty as a tomato eaten within seconds of being picked,
the last of the cucumbers and beans offer themselves up in their largest and greenest condition,
the squash plant that until this last phase of the garden had flowered but not produced not has concentrated its entire effort on one squash that seems to grow even as it is watched, and
the single cauliflower that had started to form its brain resembling offering late in the season now has been joined by two other cauliflowers, one of medium size and one being a baby, so that one is reminded of the three bears or the three billy goat gruffs.
The carrots continue to grow there green indicators while their orange roots remain to finish maturing,
And soon, the growth of the garden will end, the last of the vegetables and fruits will be harvested, the red tomatoes will be eaten with a broad smile and deep "ah", the green tomatoes will be given a chance to finish their conversion to red off the vine, and the plants will die.
Still, the earth of the garden will remain, the possibility of a future garden will remain, and the dreams of the gardner will continue.

Though For The Day: Even as I wrote, I was unsure as to whether I was describing my garden, which has given me such pleasure, or life in general for the stages of each are much alike, and I am heartened by the recognition that even as the garden and the person age, they can remain productive and can yield newness. Also, just as the brain-shaped cauliflower matured late, perhaps the human brain truly only matures later in the season of life, and just as the carrots have always been visible above the surface and only at the end will the results of a season of growth become visible, perhaps the essence of the human only becomes evident at the end of life, and just as the earth remains to grow a new garden, the earth remains for future gardens and gardeners.