“There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.”-Mirabel Osler
(Big or small, gardens can be very rewarding.)
The last few weeks have been all about encouraging you to prepare your garden for the upcoming season. We’ve given you tips and information on what you need to get started (Happy Gardener- You Can Do It!), and how to do it (Happy Gardener-Become A Seed-Sowing Machine). But some of you may still be thinking, WHY even do it? What am I going to really get out of it? Those of us who love to garden each season can’t fathom WHY NOT to do it, but some who have never embarked on this adventure want to know why they should bother, and what’s the big deal? Today my goal is to give some answers to those questions, win over the skeptics, and give them more reasons than not to get out there and grow! So here is my little list of reasons why you should give gardening a go.
(Who wouldn’t want a little more of this in their pockets?)
Show Me The Money! You can just hear Jerry Maguire screaming this right now can’t you? We’ve all felt like that at one time or another when we’ve taken a trip to the grocery store and our three tomatoes we have picked out have suddenly rang up for five dollars. We tend to feel ripped off and violated. Imagine how good it would feel to walk outside and pluck off three tomatoes that you grew from a transplant which only cost you around a buck fifty when you bought it. You are going to get that five dollars back in your pocket and then some, because your plant will keep producing. You won’t have to be at the mercy of the grocery stores whose prices fluctuate weekly. How about when you need a certain herb for a recipe? Those packaged herbs in the grocery store are not that cheap. Wouldn’t it save you some money to have the herb growing in your garden, where you could just snip off what you need at the time you need it? Same thing goes for vegetables, maybe you just need one celery stalk and not the whole bunch for a soup. With a garden you can take what you need, and leave the rest for when you need it later. You’ll be freeing up space in your refrigerator, and lessening the chance of your produce going to waste. I can’t tell you how much grief I’ve gotten for spending my money on some vegetable or herb, only to have the remaining portion of it left behind and rotting in the back of the produce drawer. To quote Jerry again, “Help me, help you.” Plant a few veggies and herbs you know you love and then sit back and “show me the money.”
(Truly fresh-from-the vine, bursting with flavor.)
You Can Always Get What You Want. Anybody else like the Rolling Stones as much as I do? If you do, please don’t hate me for modifying one of their lyrics. But I have found that one of the coolest things about gardening is that, for the most part, you CAN always get what you want. Especially when what you want is a fresh tasting tomato or cucumber that hasn’t been all waxed up and basically “airbrushed”. Take notice of the next time you eat a tomato from the grocery store. Do you notice that the skin seems thick and waxy? That’s because it probably is. Those shiny veggies have a deceiving coat of wax to increase their visual appeal. Vegetables that have to travel distances have been bred to withstand the bumps of the road, the packaging, and the shifting from truck to store, so that when they arrive they will look fresh to the consumer. Your veggies only have to withstand the plucking of your fingers, and the trip from the backyard into the house. If you’ve never bitten into a sun-warmed, fresh-from-the-vine, homegrown tomato, believe me when I tell you it is one of the most satisfying, smile-inducing flavors you will experience. Your teeth will pierce the soft, tender skin and the flavors of the warm juice will explode in your mouth. I’m using tomatoes as examples, but you get this with all freshly-grown vegetables. There is such a difference in taste, it would be a shame to not experience it. When it comes to my vegetables, I’ll tell Daniel-san to hold the “wax on, wax off”.
(How you take care of this pest will be up to you and you alone.)
“I Know What I Bring To The Table, So Trust Me When I Say, I Don’t Mind Eating Alone.” I can’t find the author of this quote, but I love it. And although I know its meaning is much deeper than what I’m using it for, it seems to fit my next reason for gardening. When you garden and when you grow and harvest your own vegetables and herbs, you know exactly what you have put on your plants. There really is no way of knowing what you are getting when you purchase from a grocery store. There are so many ways around rules and regulations, terms and definitions, that even when you think you are buying organic, you might not be. In your garden, you are in charge of what pest or fungus control you choose to use. You will know exactly what ingredients are in the products with which you spray your plants. So with gardening, also comes a sense of empowerment; you are able to make true decisions about what goes onto your food, and into your body. You will definitely know what you bring to the table.
(Don’t miss out on an amazing opportunity to teach a child.)
I Do Not Like Green Eggs And Ham-Dr. Seuss. Many of Dr. Seuss’s amazing stories have valuable lessons to teach, and so does the act of gardening. The process of gardening teaches a child, and ourselves, that through diligence and care you can create something wonderful. Do you know a child who is a picky eater particularly when it comes to vegetables? Are you a picky eater who acts like a child particularly when it comes to vegetables? There might be a solution for this. There is something about growing their own veggies that makes a child more willing to try it, and this may work for you too. Hey Mikey, he likes it! It’s a fun and entertaining process to see the evolution of a plant. Whether you start from a seed or transplant, you and a child will observe as the plant sprouts, grows, gets pollinated by its flowers, sets fruit, and awaits your hands to pull the mature vegetable from its stems. It truly is a fascinating experience. Go back to that place in time when making mud pies was the most important thing on the agenda for the day. You can learn together, spend time together, and will be making precious memories together. Sharing what you have learned, through seasons of growing, is a gift that truly keeps on giving. Don’t be a Sam I Am, try it now and don’t make us beg.
(You can grab ingredients straight from the garden to make a delicious, healthy, salad and dressing.)
Easy Like Sunday Morning. The Commodores sang about being easy like Sunday morning, but let me tell you what is not easy – Sunday at the grocery store! I’ve found myself there many a time wishing I didn’t have to pick up that one onion I needed, or the package of basil for my Sunday pasta dinner. How nice would it have been during those times, to walk outside my own home to find what I needed. So, how about gardening for the pure convenience of it? Not only will you save money at the grocery store, but you will be saving time too. Sure you will invest a little time when you are first starting out, but then you won’t be running out to the store looking for a side dish for dinner all the time. Need a salad for dinner? Take a few steps to the garden and pull off a few fresh lettuce leaves, pluck a tomato and cucumber, and then snip a few fresh herbs to make a healthy, non-processed dressing. Did you forget to get an appetizer to take to a party? In a few minutes you can pull from your garden, the ingredients to make a super quick salsa that will taste fresh and amazing. Hot summer day? How easy it is to harvest a few sprigs of mint to make your iced tea even more refreshing. It is so rewarding to just have to go no further than right outside your own door and be able to offer yourself, family, and friends the seasons finest offerings.
(Back to the basics of digging in the dirt.)
“To Forget How To Dig The Earth And To Tend to the Soil Is To Forget Ourselves.”-Mahatma Gandhi. Out of all the reasons for gardening, the one I value most is the process of getting back to nature. It may sound a little “hippy dippy” but I don’t mind. There is something very fundamental about gardening. You are out in nature, you are feeling the sun warm your body, you are working the land, you plant a seed and it grows, the birds and bees assist you, and the sun and rain encourage you. Although there are a few more steps that you need to include to successfully garden, it truly is those simple things at the heart of it. At the same time, you will be getting plenty of exercise, and yet you will also feel a sense of relaxation. You can let the days troubles fall away like dirt sifting through your fingers. Very Zen-like, eh? Breathing in fresh air, getting a healthy dose of vitamin D from the sun (keeps those blues away), and digging in the earthy soil all give you opportunities to slow down, relax, and be at peace if only for a few moments. You don’t have to take on a huge plot to garden in, just carve yourself out a little niche that you can visit everyday. Feeling adventurous-dig deep in the ground, feeling creative-create a raised bed, feeling overwhelmed-grab a few pots and start with those. Don’t feel as though you have to dive in full throttle to enjoy the perks of gardening, just start somewhere and see where it takes you.
-The Happy Gardener
-Lisa Mulroy
