Hello. This is Bessie. Sister Ella and I loved to grow flowers. We were in a sort of competition with the women on the other farms. The garden was right outside our kitchen, to make it convenient. There was even a door that opened directly from the kitchen into the garden. Do you see that to your right?

We hadn’t heard about being “green” or “organic” back then. That was just the way we gardened. When we needed a little extra fertilizer for a prized flower, the chicken coop was close at hand, right behind you, just as it is today. If there were too many bugs, we picked them off by hand. When there were weeds, we used our hoes or pulled them by hand. We never used any chemicals in our gardens. Most seeds were ones we saved from previous years or traded with friends. Never bought any unless we absolutely had to!

The only water available was what you would call “gray water.” we saved in a bucket un-dah the drains from our kitchen sink you just saw. Waste not want not!

Now turn around. I think Pa’s over there in the chicken coop.