“I think one of my proudest moments was when my son said to me, ‘Mom, I love to garden, and I learned everything about it from you.’”  Shirley Tomlin’s son is now grown, but she said that when he was growing up, “before I left for work in the morning I would give him jobs to do in the garden.” Shirley has always had a productive garden and does to this day at her home in Hallieford.

“This year my garden hasn’t been as great as it was last year. Have had to replant my peppers and they are on the way now. The deer liked my tomato plants and gave them a haircut.”

A neighbor declares that the deer wait until Shirley’s lights go off for the night and then come to the garden for a meal. Yet with all of the setbacks, Shirley has raised a garden that reads like a supermarket’s produce ad: green beans, butterbeans, squash, onions, peppers, cucumbers and blackberries. And there is a harvest of plenty. Not only does Sh...