Tilling the soil runs in the blood. John Calvin Davis came to Red Springs in 1902 and bought some land for $2 an acre. He farmed ribbon cane in two large plots on either side of a running creek. At age 90, after his planting days were past, he expressed his intent to make one more batch of syrup. 

His family responded. A trip across the border to Louisiana followed, as the family brought back enough cane to make that syrup. One of those on that trip was his grandson and local resident Ron Davis. As Davis described how his grandfather made syrup, “with just enough consistency that a spoon placed up and down would fall very slowly,” it is apparent how closely the family was entwined with growing and producing things from the earth. 

Storytelling comes naturally to Ron Davis. A sit-down with Davis is part history lesson and part conversation. Answers to questions come with a setting and a context. It is not surprising then that a discussion about his gardens started with his grandfather’s cane fields.

That connection with the soil has extended now three generations, with two more generations being nurtured in that direction. 

Today, Ron and Rosa Davis cultivate a variety of vegetables and some fruit on a small holding just northwest of Mineola. Their gardens are not small backyard plots. They have 2-3 acres in production. 

The productivity of their gardens and their picturesque setting on a slightly sloping slice of land draw folks just to drive by and admire.

“When I’m out working the peas with my poppin’ Johnny, folks will stop just to watch,” Davis admitted. 

The couple tends four gardens with two dedicated to peas and two mixed gardens.

A walk-about their gardens is an education. Lay-out, soil composition, trimming, weeding, weather, pests, pollination, timing, moisture and more weather are all touched upon. The garden includes two long rows of flowers (day lilies and zinnias) to draw the honeybees necessary for pollination.

Rosa offered a starting point, “You have to know your soil,” she commented. “Our soil here is sand,” Ron added, “so we have to do a lot to build it up.” Every couple of years they send samples to Texas A&M for testing. 

The process of adding nutrients to the soil involves significant labor and a bit of trial and error. They explain that it is a combination of wood chips, manure and lime which seems to be the correct mixture for their holding. Rosa stressed that soil can differ dramatically from place to place in the county.

Ron pointed out that planting winter wheat in the fall and turning it into the soil in early spring is also a critical part of the soil conditioning. Fortuitously, the Mississippi hybrid peas and Brazos blackberries that they raise naturally flourish in sandy soil.  

The Davises moved to their present home site in 1979. The 12-acre property, after having carved off a portion for their daughter and son-in-law, left about five acres for cultivation. As Rosa explained, “We had the land, so it only made sense to make it productive.”

It is definitely producing. This year, in addition to a couple of acres of peas, the gardens will offer up tomatoes, okra, peppers of all varieties, cucumber, zucchini, melons, cantaloupe, blackberries and sunflowers, with a row of cotton thrown in for teaching purposes. 

After graduating from Winona High School, Ron married Rosa in 1966. He spent time in trucking and homebuilding, then logged 30 years of service with Ramey Water Supply.

Rosa likewise retired from Ramey Water. Ron now teaches woodworking in the ag-science department at Alba-Golden High School. “I bring the kids down to see what a cotton plant actually looks like,” he added.  

During that time the Davises raised three children. Debbie and her husband, Joe, live next door; son Kevin lives just up the hill; while daughter Amy is in Sherman. The grandkids help out with the harvests.

It is the neighboring garden at the Nivison’s household which has become a good-natured competition in the family.

Ron smiled and shared that his daughter and son-in-law joke about having Home and Garden visit to feature their garden. He explained that this article will be a surprise when they read the paper next door.

The Davis home is surrounded by a variety of workshops and outbuildings. One holds Rosa’s crafts, while Ron has a well-equipped woodworking shop. A number of antique tractors – another of Ron’s hobbies – can be found on the property. A half-dozen of those are fully restored.  

Regardless of other hobbies, “growing” is clearly the Davises’ passion. Ron explained, “After coffee each morning, we walk the whole garden, tending to whatever needs tending.”

Rosa offered that the gardens are great therapy. “We are very thankful to God that we can do this. We have our health and a little land to work with.” 

The roots of these gardens go back generations and the fruit of this labor, past and present, is destined for family, friends and neighbors.