Posted: 7/31/07
Garden Glimpses: Couple enjoys bounty from city garden
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
Located at a busy intersection in Caledonia, Steve and Janice Petersonís garden attracts a lot of attention. Many people honk or wave when they see the couple out tending their huge vegetable garden.
"Itís been a garden for years," explained Janice. It first belonged to the former owner of their house, Lawrence Janikowski, who was an industrial arts teacher at Caledonia High School. When the railroad ran nearby it was an onion field, and the small white building to the south was where people would have coffee while waiting for the train.
When Janice was growing up, her mother had two gardens. As the youngest of nine children, she was often the one sent into the garden.
"I swore Iíd never have a garden," she said.
But she married Steve Peterson, who also comes from a long line of gardeners, and having a garden was inevitable.
"Steveís dad had a garden and so did his grandma, so we had lots of guidance," said Janice.
Gardening is definitely a joint venture for the Petersons. Not only do they plant, cultivate and harvest together, they also do all the canning together.
The vegetables that they grow include horseradish, two varieties of peppers, 2 kinds of tomatoes, rhubarb, kohlrabi, beets, russet potatoes, red potatoes, green beens, pole beans, broccoli, onions, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, and peas. The peas are good to snack on while in the garden, Janice pointed out.
And to make the garden more attractive to people passing by, there are sunflowers and zinnias along the perimeter.
The Petersons donít vary too much in what they plantóafter all, they know what they like and they stick to it. They use chemicals only when necessary to eliminate garden pests.
The garden can be a lot of work, but it can also be an activity that clears the mind, said Janice.
Itís also a good way for her and her husband to spend quality time together, she added.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com