Gardening and Baseball – Our National Pastimes

Driving to Dripworks today I was thinking of the work (dedication and sweat), thought (planning and strategy), and emotion (the thrill when the work pays off) that comes into play in both Gardening and Baseball. Touching the soul of an avid gardener and a real baseball fan are their gardens, landscapes, and the ball fields. Walking into a beautiful flower or vegetable garden is a breathtaking experience. A baseball stadium is similarly awesome. In baseball the venue is a "ballpark" and the grass is called the "outfield," and the "infield"...a natural setting, an area tended with care, a magnificent site, and a joy to the senses. Gardening and baseball…I contemplate the similarities.

Let's begin with the "off season" work that goes into preparing for next year's garden. The fields lay fallow, the trees dormant and the garden is at rest. During the winter we plan what to plant next year by reviewing what worked last year (basil = pesto, tomatoes, onions, and peppers = salsa or pasta sauce, chard = year long steamed veggies, and kale = green smoothies). We think about what we want to adjust (e.g. more compost for the strawberries and blueberries, planting lettuce under Agribon for the cooler Fall season and early Spring, etc.), what kind of amendments the soil needs (e.g. bat guano), and finally where we need to change the drip system. At Dripworks we use our Solexx greenhouse to start plants early, while larger farms can benefit from high tunnels to get an early start.

Winter presents a similar scenario for baseball players and their teams. To be successful they need to continue to hone their skills. If they finished in first place, they still must look for replacements for players that have left. The coach works with the players and scouts look for new players, the general managers explore and execute trades, and the players need to take a break, going dormant for the winter, and return with renewed energy.

Spring is a magical time for gardeners and ballplayers. Working the soil and planting seeds gets us outdoors with an air of hope and excitement. Trusted seed sources are tapped. Our bodies are tested. Spring training is a time of renewed commitment for baseball players too. They go thru all of the drills, and only the strongest and most skilled get to play on opening day!

Summer is when gardeners must pay attention, when our commitment is put to the test, when all the preparations pay off. We must keep an eye on each plant's development and  make sure that our drip system is doing what we need. Feeding (fertilizer and fertilizer injectors) the plants through your drip system by using a fertilizer injector will optimize your efforts. Pests and critters have to be dealt with. We need to look for soil deficiencies and disease. But we also get to jump for joy when the first tomatoes appear, the first head of lettuce is ready to pick, the garlic is ready to harvest, or the first ripe apple drops from the tree.

Baseball players need to keep their minds in the game all season long, staying loose, hydrated, and strong. As a gardener we also need to stretch and drink water before and after working in the yard. Ballplayers have a regular routine and stick to it, take batting practice, fielding ground balls, catching fly balls, running regularly and stretching on the field. They need to endure a long season of extreme effort. I stretch in the garden, play catch with the grandchildren using lemon cucumbers, ride my bike, and take walks in the park regularly.

Autumn is harvest season when our crops mature and ripen. Time to fill our harvest basket and enjoy those fresh veggies on the dinner table. It’s also time to dry, can, or freeze fruits and veggies for the long winter. We get to share or show off to family and friends or at the county fair competition with the biggest pumpkins, the tastiest and most beautiful apples, the best jams, sauces, and salsas.

For baseball, autumn is heavy with excitement for the playoffs from Little League through high school and college ball. For gardeners and farmers, a greenhouse or high tunnel can keep the excitement going. Misters and T-Tape® work well in both of these protected environments.  In the major leagues there is the World Series, the fall classic. After training, coaching, and competing, the best teams with the best players compete for the top prize.

Dripworks mirrors both of these pastimes by offering the best quality products in our field,  careful planning (see Dripworks garden planner) for the next year, and hard work year round.

http://www.dripworks.com/

To Order click on the items below:

Agribon

Bat Guano

Fertilizer Injectors

Solexx greenhouses

AT&T Park Photo Credit: Threat to Democracy from Flickr via Creative Commons License