I follow the blog "Former Chef," written by a..former chef...who gardens and who posts great recipes. Recently, she posed this question to her readers. I have to say, this is an issue that has crossed my mind, and it did give me pause. After thinking it over, this was my reply. Hope it provides you some food for thought, and I hope your gardens are happy and healthy!
So far I have spent 25 on mulch, 25 on turkey compost, and about 20 on plants. My successful gardening neighbor gave me 4 tomato plants, 1 squash, 2 tomatillo, 1 pepper, and one melon! How’s that for generosity?So, with all that, I have 8 tomato plants, 1 melon, 1 squash, two tomatillo, 3 peppers, and five kinds of herbs. From seed, I began cucumbers and watermelon. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I planted like six of each of those, and plan to thin them out(?). My garden is not raised, it’s in the ground. My other neighbor gave me some short wire fencing to put around it to deter rodents, and I plan to cover it somehow and also to put in six short rows of drip irrigation….So, I guess I’ve spent 70 bucks and still have more to go. I do love how my neighbor gave me those plants–I plan to pass on extras myself.
I live in Austin, Texas. We have great farmers’ markets here, and I also shop stores like Whole Foods. I’m sure, like me, everyone who reads this blog cares a lot about buying and eating high quality, fresh foods, and are willing to spend more for it. All I can say is I just spent about 150.00 at Whole Foods this weekend, and most of that was fruit and vegetables–I didn’t even buy meat and hardly bought anything processed. I know I will still have to supplement our meals this year by buying greens and fruit….and who knows how successful our garden will be despite the money and time we put into it?
Still, it is worth it when I see my children digging in the soil and planting seeds–they are truly learning where their sustenance is coming from, and it comes naturally to them. In this age of mass produced produce, that is an invaluable connection to be made. Self-sustenance is an all-too readily fading thing in our society, and it isn’t something I am readily willing to let go of. That’s why so many of us who love to cook also love, or are beginning to love, to garden.
These skills, these acts of self provision, teach us that we don’t always need more than we can yield, and that we can yield enough for us to feel more than satisfied; that the simple things are often the most satisfying. So, I guess I will continue to invest my time and money in gardening and in learning about gardening, so that these skills and these sentiments about life can live on in my own children. I think that’s how many of us feel, and that makes me feel glad and hopeful. And hope is priceless.
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