When a gardening habit becomes a "Culture of Gardening"!!!

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So you want to be a gardener, but what does it really mean if you don't give it what it really takes? You might plant a garden at home or take on a bed at the community garden, but it isn't going to produce much if you just visit once or twice a week. This is one of the reasons that our project is to start gardens at people's homes- it is right there when you get home from work or school, and you don't have to drive to some distant location after a long day of toil or trouble.

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The truth is that for your garden to really thrive you need to spend a little time and put your attention on what the plants need almost every day. It isn't that you have to spend much time every day- but that you give it your attention, building your awareness of what is happening, and giving the garden whatever it might need at that moment. For me, the time spent in the garden has beome a sort of daily devotion- like visiting a friend, reading scripture, or a morning workout. In fact, it is something I miss if I don't go out and spend a little time.

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I'm not much for routine so I might garden in the morning, the afternoon or in the evening- I rarely miss a day and worry about my garden when I do. I get so much out of it I have to really think about it to list the benefits.

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Here are a few benefits- exercise, peace, quiet, good healthy food, a sense of purpose, a connection to the Earth, fun, a sense of wonder, inspiration, an opportunity to serve, growing faith, friendship.

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Friendship? Yes. I have met so many amazing people gardening- and the circle of gardening friends and acquaintances grows almost every day. I get visitors who just walk or drive up to our little garden, some of them because they have heard talk or been directed in this direction, and sometimes they see it from the street and are just curious. It is a great opportunity and privelege to be drawn into the gardening community and to draw others into my own growing circle in the pursuit of connection- to people, community, and creation. Ours is a world of hope, love and  boundless wonder at the mystery and miracle of life.

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