Never before in our known history have people been so disconnected from the earth and their sources of food. Sure, maybe the wealthy elite from various chapters of history avoided toiling in the dirt for their supper but those were the extreme minority. When people find out I garden, the most common responses I hear are, “wow, I definitely don’t have a green thumb,” or “I just don’t have time for all of that.” Many have an earnest desire but are totally overwhelmed by the prospect of nurturing tiny seedlings into thriving, productive food sources. Why should anyone garden when its so easy to simply run to the store or farmers market?
Health is a hot topic these days
History shows us that people have always been concerned about their health. But never before have we seen the number of fad diets, ‘miracle’ elixirs and even pills, promising us healthier bodies, more energy, and less body fat among other things. One method has been almost completely ignored despite its thousands of years of proven success: growing your own food – aka: gardening. Gardening can be a form of exercise. The larger the spread, the more exertion. Even keeping nothing more than potted plants still gets your body up and moving. Fresh air and sunshine have also clinically proven benefits for your body. The best part of this exercise? Better tasting food!
Anyone who has had a tomato from the garden versus the store knows exactly what I’m talking about. It blew my mind, years ago when working with inner city kids, that some had NEVER tasted fresh produce. (They also had NO idea where their meat or milk came from.) Now that we’re seeing a significant rise to urban farms and gardens, much of this is changing. Picking ripe, in-season produce yields not only better tasting food, but healthier as well, as the ripening process can increase the antioxidant levels.
Gardening is fun!
Especially if you have kids. Sure it comes with a fair number of frustrations such as a critter chewing your healthy pea stalks down to nothing or kids running through a freshly-planted plot. But nothing beats the satisfaction of watching your hard work suddenly peek through the soil, unfurl long viny arms and offer 20, 50, 100 times what that tiny seed started as. Prepping and maintenance can be clever bonding time with kids and family, as you work shoulder to shoulder, planning, weeding, and harvesting together.
Fight inflation
Unfortunately, grocery prices are making like an Everest climber and keep going up, up, up! (An ode to my former dream of becoming an Everest climber.) Spending a few bucks on a packet of seed will generously return the investment. When just starting out, don’t be intimidated by the catalogs with thousands of varieties. Start small; grab a few packets from your local hardware store or Walmart and stick with the basics. After some experience, have fun experimenting with the unique varieties out there!
Going green….literally
Worried about your footprint? Gardening is an easy approach to have a positive environmental impact. If more of us had greenhouses, patio/container gardens or turned our green lawns into lush food plots, there would be less need to have as much produce trucked in from across the country. Pollinators would discover a utopic oasis instead of a treated wasteland. (I say this having a Hubby with a love affair with Roundup.)
Happy gardening!
