Would it still be relaxing or fun?

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Permalink Reply by Joy Williams on May 19, 2009 at 5:25am

It it possible that reason some people aren't gardening is because they don't have the land? Without the space, people can't grow food. Sure they can raise a pot of herbs on their deck but people need community land that they can plant a garden in. I think more people would do this if they had space and were educated by local groups. This is happening in cities like NYC and Chicago.

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Permalink Reply by chris w on May 21, 2009 at 12:02am

That's a good question, but unlike most of the US, one thing we do have is land - lots of land. It mostly sits with sagebrush, or if cared for, grass. (I can see the need for lawns but I am not a big fan of grass.... I'm always having to weed it out of planting beds.) Some folks have tried to put in a community gardens here, but whenever its been tried its failed. (I think because we have so much land, the average home has an acre and a quarter at minimum.)

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Permalink Reply by TAR HEEL on May 19, 2009 at 5:05am

Chris,....farming and gardening are not the same. fun and survival are VERY different. you're right Chris.

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Permalink Reply by Joy Williams on May 19, 2009 at 5:12am

I think you would pay a lot more close attention to everything you knew, and your plants and would take on things a lot more seriously. To be forthright about things, I think we are going to have to start thinking this way. The economy is tanking and we may not be able to drive as much, and oil may become in short supply soon making the cost of produce skyrocket. One reason I'm growing is to decrease my dependence on grocery stores. This is one reason I'm also starting to can as well. I think it would still be relaxing, and fun, but you would have to be a lot more serious about things. You would check things a couple of times every day to get a handle on any possible problems. That, is in fact, what I'm doing right now. Our community, the 32 acre ranch we share with other people, has discussed that we may need to start growing a communal garden that everyone can tend to, in case things get really dicey. I'm not a peak oil survivalist, but I do believe that the way the economy is going that having a sustainable lifestyle is important. Learning while we still have an abundant resource to provide for us while our gardens might fail because of OUR mistakes is important. (though there are some things that you can't control, obviously) This is one reason why I'm also going to start beekeeping next year, besides the fact that I want to provide a home for pollinators.

I also think that learning how to do things right in your growing region for your plants will actually increase the enjoyment of gardening. Knowing how much water to give, when to put frost covers on, etc, is important. You can't know though, unless you make mistakes. I really feel that making mistakes is important for the learning process we all go through, and makes us better gardeners, so don't stress out! Not every plant will make it, not everything will work. For most failed plants they will add to your compost. So there's always some lemonade there.

I won't give up.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon on May 19, 2009 at 6:36am

Great comments. Made me think of a few more comments.

My neighbor, who I think farms/gardens mostly for his relaxation, goes around every year sharing a large part of his harvest, mostly corn and field peas. He says he has the land for it (and enjoys it) and many of his neighbors don't, especially the "single ladies". In exchange we share some of our tomatoes, figs and squash (or whatever we have), which he adds to his deliveries for the ladies who aren't at a stage to grow much of anything. For some folks, his sharing is less a state of their financial fragility than the food bank. Find multiple ways to help.

Because we only moved here a bit over three years ago and I seem to be a recognized fixture working on my property (especially since I didn't clear cut and plow up everything), we've had a lot of folks stop and ask questions about what we are growing, how to grow, etc. Everyone should share knowledge, not just here at KGI, but with neighbors. I especially enjoy encouraging younger folks to try growing something, even in a pot. The young folks who painted my house this year and those who put on the new gutters got a walk through, some encouragement and a plant or cutting of something.

Americans really must become more conscious of where their food comes from, the impact it made to arrive at their table and what food stuffs may not be grown in developing countries to accommodate our pleasant extras. I feel more hopeful about that becoming a major awareness now than in any time since I first started following my grandparents in digging in the earth way back in the late 60s.

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Mills on May 19, 2009 at 7:53am

This subject reminds me of several topics. For one, we invested $600 in two heifers recently. They weren't in the best shape, but they were half grown. I understand the fear of failure. Had those feeder calves died, we would've been out an entire year's worth of beef. Luckily, they seem to be pulling out from their earlier misfortune of malnutrition. I am completely confused by the man who was so lax as to allow that in the first place. What on earth was he thinking?

Secondly, my husband got me a little set of "greenhouse" shelves and some Jiffy seed sprouting kits. Those aren't working out very well for me. My husband works in the automotive industry which is leaving us rather poor and worried about our future. That leaves me rather riffed about the money we spent trying to start our plants from seed. It seems the old fashioned wet sponge covered by a damp towel works better and was even cheaper. For us, it cost us half of our tomato crop. That wasn't fun. Lesson learned tho.

The best "fun" I get is looking at our pantry shelves when they're full of home-canned goods from the garden, especially if there's enough to last the winter. Oh, and freezers filled with the meat we raised. Like Joy Williams, we avoid the grocery store as much as we can. Plus, I am a Christian who believes we are in the "last days".

Finally, I think this way of life may some day become the "norm" even for Americans who were previously accustomed to supermarkets, but there is some happiness to be found here. I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes feel a peaceful connection with the land and its Creator while I'm raising this food. That alone is worth more than extra money to spend at the grocery store.

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Permalink Reply by John Walker on May 21, 2009 at 10:44am

Dear Chris,
Just reread your post and in erratum of my previous post, I must concur with your sentiment.
It wold not be fun or relaxing. Read Richard Manning's 'Against the Grain' to glean an understanding of the effects of agriculture.
However for most of us in the US (though not all, and this group is increasing in number) we have been buffered from crop failure. It would be interesting to see how we would cope.
pax
John

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Permalink Reply by chris w on May 21, 2009 at 1:49pm

You are very well read. Unfortunately, I will not be so well read any time in the future BUT I will keep that book in mind the next time I have the opportunity to read - maybe my next business trip. I am blessed with a good job (at least until the economy takes it away) and have spent a lot of time these last few years very grateful.

I have traveled to countries that don't have the 'safety nets' the US has and that always humbles me. If they don't have a job, they don't eat, if they don't eat they die of hunger or a hunger related illness. I would (statistically) already be dead, having outlived their life expectancies (some as low as 40 or so) and up to half of my children would have died in childhood. I would have to walk to the most basic health care for literally miles sometimes and hope there is medicine when I get there. I'm very grateful for my life.

Everyday I go into my garden and wonder about my blessings and realize that if I lived somewhere else, I'd be gardening to survive and maybe I really wouldn't enjoy it that much. (I'd be too stressed, etc.) Gardening as a hobby seems to be something for the more advantaged people of the world. Gardening (or farming) to live seems to be different. I've tried for years to get other people in my local area interested in gardening, and it seems the lower the families' income, the less likely they are to want to garden. After having a gardening conversation with someone, I started to really wonder about all these things. Thank you (to everybody) for participating in my wonderings. Each post as added something to my thought process.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on May 21, 2009 at 2:04pm

Chris, the poor don't garden because they can't spare the money for the plants and supplies. Often, they don't have land to plant in. If they live in public housing, and try to grow a few things in pots, even their container gardening efforts can be destroyed by others out of simple meanness, or, if brought to fullness, stolen. I know one couple who tried to garden, and their produce was stolen and traded for drugs. The thieves smashed what they didn't take and destroyed the plants so that nothing else could grow. The entire season's efforts were a loss to this family. Their anger was nothing compared to their disappointment in those that did it, and their heartbreak. We are all blessed more than we know.

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Permalink Reply by chris w on May 21, 2009 at 2:22pm

Yes, you're right. I commented earlier that I knew of lots of aid organizations that gave out 'free food' but none that supplied seeds to lower income people (and/or planting supplies). I think that should change, by the way. I know people who can't affort the 25 cent seed packets at Walmart.

One elderly couple where I live has had to stop gardening because of exactly what you described - some young people went into their garden at night and destroyed it 'for fun'. I read your stories and my heart broke. I'm amazed that city community gardens aren't vandalized but maybe they can afford better security or something.

We briefly lived in Milwaukee, WI and my dad had a plot in a community garden. It was amazing to see. I inherited my love of gardening from him. but I digress.... thanks for your comments.

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Permalink Reply by sandra anderson on May 22, 2009 at 4:19pm

I read on another blog, just a few minutes ago, that places like Walmart are now accepting food stamps for vegetable seeds. Does anyone know if this is true?

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Permalink Reply by sandra anderson on May 21, 2009 at 4:16pm

Our town is now adding pea patches in the public housing complexes. Almost every neighborhood now has a green space for growing things. Maybe (in our perfect world) there won't be such a difference between the haves and have nots and there will be more cooperation.
But like my friend Taru says, "First we must dream it!"

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