F r i e n d s | F a m i ly | F o o d
Russ's gardens, measuring about 800 sq. ft., are in his front yard. Even though it is well known that he grows vegetables, "…neighbors still stop by and drop off vegetables," he said. “I do learn a lot of tips from neighbors stopping by and seeing me working in the garden.”
a labor of
love
Photo by John Riddle
STORY BY JOHN RIDDLE
a
s everyone well knows, American's lives have changed dramatically in the past several months. Before the pandemic, most people spent much less time on lawn care and gardening and more time socializing. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the breakdown of how people spent their time on different daily activities in 2019 included housework (0.53 hrs.), hrs.), sports and exercising (0.34 hrs.), and socializing and leisure time (4.64 hrs.). However, Google trends show that interest in gardening has almost doubled in 2020. With more time on their hands at home, people have been filling it with household chores and maintenance and even trying to grow their own food. It didn’t take a pandemic to jumpstart Russ Deavours’ interest in gardening. He's been at for 30 years. "The thing that got me into it was that our families were farmers. It's a hobby, but it's something I love to do. When Spring and Fall come around, something inside me tells me it’s time to plant a garden,” Russ said. 40
Valdosta Magazine
George “Russ” Deavours and Libby Carter Deavours live in Lake Park on a sandhill next to an 80-acre lake that has been in Libby’s family since her Dad, a pro baseball player between 1914 – 1921, bought the land and peat moss lake with proceeds from his baseball career. “When he came home from traveling with baseball, he would buy land. He mined peat moss out of the lake for years,” Russ explained. That sand hill is the reason he went to raised gardens. If he was going to have to bring in compost and topsoil, he only wanted to do that for a small area that would produce all the vegetables he and his wife needed and provide plenty to give to his family and friends. But that’s not how he started gardening. He used to have a bigger garden near his home until he was golfing with a friend one day that showed him his raised gardens. That sparked the idea of converting to that concept. He never looked back. Why does Russ continue gardening at age 79 when he readily admits, "…you might be able to buy vegetables cheaper at a local grocer…," referring to the time and cost of growing your own? "We keep our great-granddaughter three days a week while her mom and dad are at work. Before she was born, I told her mother that I couldn't wait until she could help me in the garden. Now, she has a little hoe and loves being in the garden with us. We're bonding, and it's teaching
