I was raised on what I consider a modern day farm. My father was a civil engineer and what I considered a weekend gentleman farmer until his retirement. What this meant for me growing up was I had to spend my weekends doing chores before I could do the things every other teenager does – ugh! While I enjoyed the results of farming – the fresh produce, jams and jellies, and veggies in the winter – I didn’t much care for the process of getting them. I always enjoyed growing things – even as a teenager I had a room full of house plants. And while I didn’t really mind working in the garden it interfered with ‘MY LIFE” as a teenager.
As I have grown older and raised my own kids, I have come to appreciate farming for its many positive aspects. Of course there is the important end result – the produce. Who could complain about being able to walk into your yard and pick fresh lettuce, pull a few baby carrots and radish and pick a couple of tomatoes for a salad with your evening meal. Shuck a few ears of corn or shell some peas to throw in the pot for supper. Knowing there are no chemicals or preservatives in my children’s food and having vegetables at their freshest is definitely a point in favor of gardening. In addition, having a few health issues that come with age, being able to work in the garden is an excellent form of exercise. In fact, the reason my husband tilled up that first garden, after years of refusing to do so because of claims deer would eat it up, was to offer me an outdoor option for therapy after I had knee surgery. As a plus to the physical activity offered in gardening, there is also the mental therapy. I can’t begin to describe the peace and contentment I get from working in the dirt with my hands. It’s an incredible blessing to have the ability and opportunity to work with nature. Hoeing, weeding, planting and harvesting are so incredibly rewarding. It definitely beats working out in a gym.
My garden is a gift to me and I am blessed to be able to work in it at every available opportunity.