It’s that time of year again, the anniversary of the beginning of “From the Ground Up”, when editor Brian McCullough at The Daily Local News took a chance on me and invited me to start writing about vegetable gardening for the newspaper. The first column appeared on Thursday, December 2, 1999.
The opportunity to write for the newspaper about something I loved was an amazing gift. The thing I couldn’t have known or expected is that this one gift was just the first of many.
For example, as a member of “The Press,” I started receiving invitations to garden events, including the Longwood Gardens annual Horticulture Symposium. Publishers offered me review copies of wonderful new books on all aspects of gardening.
I joined the Garden Writers Association (now GardenComm) and met people from all around the country who are also passionate about gardening, as well as writing and photography. For many years our group was treated to a special early morning tour of the Philadelphia Flower Show and then a sumptuous breakfast with speakers, courtesy of the Scotts Company.
I also remember a behind-the-scenes tour of the gardens at the Mt. Cuba Center and a garden-to-table luncheon at Terrain at Styers. A tour of Burpee Seeds’ Fordhook Farm in Bucks County, and an opportunity to taste dozens of tomato varieties. My press credentials also earned me interviews with authors and seed company owners.
At Brian McCullough’s request, I dedicated one column a month to a profile of a Chester County home gardener. Visiting other growers and their vegetable plots has been some of the most fun of my life, bringing me close to the heart and soul of this area. In some cases, those initial interviews brought me friends for life. I found my world expanded in ways I couldn’t have imagined. For instance, for the past fifteen years or so I’ve volunteered at the annual herb sale organized by the Herb Society of America (Philadelphia Unit). Here, I’ve found more friends and stumbled upon a literary agent.
Just this month, a friend I met through my column gifted me a membership in the Uwchlan Garden Club and an invitation to their annual holiday luncheon. Such an amazing treat! Here again was yet another opportunity to meet more people who also love plants.
In recounting this, I realize that the entire enterprise is a metaphor for how plants grow. A seed, in the presence of warmth and water, cracks out of its shell and sends out a root and a shoot. Gradually, a whole root system develops, garnering nutrients from the soil. Above ground, the shoot puts out stems and leaves and uses the energy of the sun to fuel the complex system of photosynthesis. If all goes well, flowers, fruits, and seeds are produced. That one plant grows into many.
What a beautiful garden of friendship has grown for me from that one seed! And the gifts keep coming. I am so grateful for all of them. For all the editors I’ve been privileged to work with over the past 26 years. For the friends I’ve found. For all the readers who’ve invited me into their gardens, asked questions, and shared their knowledge and expertise with me. It’s been such an inspiring journey over the years.
With gratitude for all that has gone before, and looking ahead to what the future will bring, I wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year!
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Pam’s new book, Listening to Nature’s Voice, is now available on Amazon. For more information or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: pamelabaxterbooks.com.
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