When I was growing up, my folks always had something growing somewhere. My mom had houseplants and a garden and my dad had his pet landscaping projects. Part of it was about the economics of raising four kids, but part of it was the quality of the stuff we could grow was way better than the store. Still is. When I went home this summer, there were huge okra plants towering in the back yard. Gourds were coming in, too. I grow a lot of herbs and smaller vegetables, but I have wanted to do more for a while now. In the past few years I’ve been interested in heirloom seeds after trying out the vegetables from the farmer’s market. Once I get a little more room in my schedule, I want to participate in the master gardener program at one of the local universities. Participants learn a lot about what it takes to grow stuff and then they share their knowledge with the community as part of the program. I know that would be a lot of hard work, but I also know it would be fun.