Why Do I Garden?

A “new age” answer to this question would be we garden to reduce our carbon foot print, so we know what we are putting into our bodies, and so we are less dependent on imported produce.  Some people probably garden specifically for these reasons but I don’t.   I garden because I like to, because I have room to, and because it gives me a reason to get off the couch and go outside.

I ought to point out that I should really be saying, we, meaning my husband, Steve, and I.  He deserves as much credit for the garden as I do, it’s a joint effort and I wouldn’t be able to do it without him.

When I was growing up my mom had a fairly large garden.  I don’t remember it being the most fruitful garden but it was a garden.  Being in the Yukon with the short growing season and poor soil there was a limited selection of vegetables that could be grown without a greenhouse.  We would try to grow beans from time to time but I don’t ever remember having enough for a meal.  Tomatoes were attempted on the deck in pots every now and again but you were lucky if they turned red on the window sill in the fall.  As kids, my sister, brother and I would always get chased out of the garden and were told to let things grow.  Even the dog, Jessie, a chocolate lab, would sneak into the garden doing her infamous belly crawl and steal carrots.  I garden because it reminds me of my childhood, but this time I get to do it my way (sort of).

One thing I remember the most about my mom’s garden was the carrots and their explosive flavor – it was always a welcome surprise in the winter to find one last pack that was buried in the bottom of the freezer.  That explosive flavor is another reason why I garden.

The depth of flavor from fresh vegetables far surpasses anything you can buy in a grocery store.  A few months ago I had to buy potatoes from the grocery store as our garden stash had been depleted.  I was disgusted with the flavor and texture.  And this was a potato! A measly potato! Most people talk about the flavor of store bought tomatoes compared to that of home grown tomatoes: that there is no comparison.  Think of that difference and imagine it in a potato, a carrot, a pea, a zucchini.  The difference exists in everything!  

A garden is a lot of work, but nothing is more rewarding then eating carrots that were pulled from the earth minutes ago and having beans so fresh that they spray you when you snap them in half. 

Oh how I wish I didn’t have to wait!