Neighbors come in all kinds of packages. Some have families with small children, others the same age as your kids, and you watch them grow up together. Then there are the retired couples. On our block, we have my next-door neighbor, 82 year old Bernard Zeman who lives with his daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Roger Lahr.

From the time Bernie moved in, I marveled at how he took care of things. From tending to his garden, to performing household chores, it wasn’t long before we all wanted a “Bernie”.

He has one special talent that keeps him moving just about all year long. Bernie is an avid gardener.

With a background as a design engineer, right around Christmas he starts drawing plans for the garden plots he rents from the Lombard Park District at Madison Meadows. Every year he makes plans for a 1600 sq. ft. double lot, measuring 40’x 40’.

This year the plan was named the wagon wheel. He designs the complete garden on paper before he plants. Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, beets, lettuce, onion, cabbage, cucumbers, pickles, zucchini, squash, herbs, and flowers are strategically designed within this complex drawing depicting a wagon wheel of vegetable, flowers, and walkways. I have never seen anything like this.

This design starts out as a sketch; it is changed many times, and takes about a month before it is perfected.

He shops on the internet and local nurseries for seeds and plants. This year he even bought tomato plants online. They came shipped in black dirt and ready to plant.

Bernie soaks his beet seeds in water 24 to 48 hours before he plants them so they will germinate better.

“Every year is different,” he said. “After doing it this long, you let your imagination go, you get the hang of it, and it comes naturally.”

He gave me pointers on watering your garden. There are two schools of thought. After you have planted the seeds, water them, and then let Mother Nature take over. That way the roots grow down looking for water. Another thought is to keep roots moist for a stronger more vigorous plant, and you will probably come out ahead in the long run with better plant production.

“My theory is – when they look thirsty, give them a drink,” he said.

He also suggests planting a double crop. That means planting a vegetable like beans, one row in the start of your garden, and two weeks later, plant another row. That way you will have vegetables all summer.

As his plants are harvested, he cans them. Really? Yes, Bernie cans them.

He cans beets, tomatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, and pickled hot peppers.

One of Bernie’s favorite salsa recipes is printed below:

Zesty Salsa – yield – about 6 pints
10 cups chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
5 cups chopped seeded long green peppers (about 2 pounds)
5 cups chopped onions (about 1 ½ pounds)
2 ½ cups chopped and seeded hot peppers (about 1 pound)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tabl. Cilantro, minced
3 tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups cider vinegar
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot, adding hot pepper sauce if desired. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ¼ -inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling- water canner. Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.

This year he has high hopes for his garden, even though it was 99.3 degrees when we were taking pictures.

In explaining his love of gardening Bernie said, “The fun of gardening is that it is not monotonous. It is unpredictable, keeps you on your toes constantly reacting to failure, and figuring out how to utilize space.”

So not only did I get a story from Bernie, I walked home with cucumbers and canned sweet and sour red cabbage. Neighbors don’t get much better than that.