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| Mache and Tatsoi from Coldframe |
Then, to my delight, when checking my blogroll today, there were two great write ups from Marguerite at Canoe Corner answering my very own mutterings, and A Woman of the Soil, awakening in me the value of the worth. I suggest if you are on the fence about growing food to eat, you visit both of these women's blogs, follow the links and watch the videos on Marguerite's especially. "Argentina's bad seeds" video was shocking to me.
The answer to why grow it and is it worth it, is individual to each of us. What might have started out as a 'little hobby', could have morphed into a business venture and publishing career for instance. For others, it might simply be a matter of necessity and feeling proud of providing for oneself and family. My garden story was a bit of a long way around. We were not meant to farm; we had a sea career. But somehow, by good grace, we were hired as caretakers on a farm on Saltspring Island back in the early eighties when we returned to Canada. Oh sure, we had grown some cucumbers in a small square behind a house we lived in on Vancouver Island when ashore, and we had a forest plot about as big as a car on one of the Gulf Islands when we took care of Capt's mom and dads place, but you couldn't really say we had a proper garden, or that we knew anything about growing food. But to this day, what kept us trying was that little miracle..YOU KNOW...the one where a seed germinates and you think..OH MY...it's green, it's growing..it's mine! It is like giving birth and in a way, you are the mother and father.
The years pass and another miracle..you have a child; you take him down to the fields while you pick corn for the market.
But sadly the years pass too quickly, you leave the island, you start a garden in Nova Scotia. Whole different ball game. This place has really cold snowy long winters, soooo not British Columbia. In summer we grew tomatoes, some greens, potatoes and beets. I still wasn't passionate, but did enjoy growing a garden very much.
The corn baby grew up, graduated from high school and we headed here to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. That's when things changed. New Beginnings perhaps...empty nesters...yes definitely. It was one of the warmest springs on record, and so before we even had our furniture moved, before we painted the interior of the new house....we put the garden in.
Why grow it? Simply put, it makes us feel good. Not just to plant, help germinate, grow, care for, cut, serve and eat it...there is that sense of accomplishment, that feeling of triumph over adversity in some instances. Better yet, I know where my food came from...the garden in our own back yard.
There might be a foot of snow but I take heart. Inside plants are telling us it's spring. Bet your potatoes are sprouting in the cupboard as I type; bet your garlic bulbs are showing their greens. They want to grow. Look, watch, listen. Like every speck on this earth, grow is what we do...grow up, grow forward, grow better, grow stronger. It's all worth it.
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| The Last of 2012's Garlic |
Well - that was inspiring - really. I do want to garden - I like knowing that all the vegetables at Thanksgiving dinner came from our own raised beds....but some years I get there and some years I don't.
ReplyDeleteWhat I particularly like about your garden posts is that they do truly inspire - never make me feel guilty about the state of my garden or lack of time to make it all happen.
Thank you Pondside. *blush* Your blog inspires me, that is for sure.
ReplyDeleteWhat a WONDERFUL post Brenda. I love the picture of your captain and sprout in the corn field. Ahhhh, back when we all had much darker hair. :-)
ReplyDeleteSorry you are dealing with so much snow. We had a bit of hail today. We have not had a single snowflake this year, so I was pretending it was snow.
"Captain and sprout"...I loved that Erin! Thanks for your kind comment. Now if only I could send you some snow ))))
DeleteHi Bren,
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are on your own in pondering the why's and wherefore's of growing our own food. In this post you have just proved why you do it - no, it doesn't always go smoothly but when it does it's the best feeling and something that all us veg growers should be proud of - however small the harvest. Great post Bren and thanks for the mention.
Elaine I was so pleased to read your post, and I was in a pensive mood, asking the questions of Why am I growing this and was it worth it. So it was great to read what you had written when I came inside. Thank YOU.
DeleteIf I added up all the money I spend on gardening (tools, compost, seeds, plants etc) my hobby would definitely make a loss, but you have to compare the gardening hobby with other hobbies to get a true comparison: how much does it cost to play golf or go fishing, for instance? My hobby gives me pleasure and it also gives me food, so that's enough for me!
ReplyDeleteYour comment was great to read and sensible especially with the comparisons with Golf or fishing. You are right of course...it gives us pleasure and gives us food. Enough for me to. Thanks Mark.
DeleteIt's definitely worth it for me. When I first started growing my own, I hoped that it would encourage the kids to eat their vegetables. My hubby was such a picky eater and never had one vegetable on his plate, and I didn't want the kids growing up with the same faddy habits as him. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that by growing my own, my faddy hubby would eat what I grew, but he does. The kids can be picky when it comes to veg, but hubby isn't anymore. At least I succeeded at something.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if gardening has changed your family's lifestyle for the better. You certainly did succeed at this and your family will always be grateful for your efforts and love. Thanks Jo, another great perspective from another gardener.
DeleteGreat minds think alike? ;-) Glad to see I'm not the only one questioning this. It's good to rethink what you're doing from time to time. Love the old photo of the 'corn baby', what a sweet memory. and what do you know, in the cupboards garlic is getting green, potatoes sprouting eyes. Despite the weather spring surely is coming. Thanks for the shout out, I agree the Argentina link is shocking but shock is sometimes necessary. I've been following CBAN lately on Facebook, if you're interested in GM foods they have a vast amount of info. The Argentina situation is just the tip of the iceberg.
ReplyDeleteNo Marguerite, you aren't the only one questioning it. Although I know about Monsanto etc...I clearly don't know enough. The shock did me good!! Also the other two video links which in fact led me to other links so I spent the entire morning learning about seeds banking, food practices, farming impact on the land, the people and animals. Will check out the CBAN site. Thanks again.
Deletehello from snowy Germany, I am a follower of your blog for a while now, and just want to say I really enjoy your posts (and pictures). This time I just wanted to react..your story was so to our own hearts. We moved to a house with a reasonable big plot of land in de the country 3 years ago), and I new absolutely NOTHING about gardening, (having lived in 2 room flats for almost 20 years)...but what alot you can teach yourself in a couple of year's, can't you? Grew my very own tomato plants from seed last year and they tasted delicious, soo much better than the one's from the supermarket and now am doing capsicum, radishes, tomatoe's ofcourse and melon's and something came up I forgot to mark, so that'll be a surprise! I keep following your blog, wish you a happy spring (hopefully around easter..we've had it with the snow) and send you the best regards, Marianne Knippers, Germany. (I also have an blog, but it's in Dutch, for the family and friends in Holland, where we are originally from, love reading the gardening blog's, your tip's where great).
ReplyDeleteMarianne, thanks so much for coming to my blog and leaving such a heartfelt comment and sharing your gardening experience. How wonderful that you have made such a beautiful garden in three years..so much to enjoy and even better, to eat! You are certainly right about the tomatoes...nothing like your own home grown. I wish you happy Spring hopefully by Easter ;-))) Inside I have two pots of tulips in bloom, smelling very sweet. (they are the little kind, 'species' they call them here)So it feels like spring. Starting my tomato seeds today.
Delete"Look, watch, listen. Like every speck on this earth, grow is what we do...grow up, grow forward, grow better, grow stronger. It's all worth it." - Simply lovely - this touched my heart!
ReplyDeleteIt touched my heart, that you wrote such kind words. Thank you Brenda, most sincerely.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post. Funny, I began working on and planting the garden immediately upon moving into our home as well. It was July and the season was half over so out I went to grow what I could before Fall. I absolutely love the sheer satisfaction of watching those plants grow, and the harvest makes me smile from ear to ear. This year we enjoyed such a plethora of canned and frozen items from the garden that make the entire process so awe-inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment Staci. Lovely to hear you had the same experience with wanting the garden in right away. It is sheer satisfaction, isn't it. You are leaps and bounds ahead of me with harvest canning and preserving but I do my best. So enjoy your blog.
DeleteIt's funny, I was musing the other day about how many garden bloggers don't have children and I pondered whether the instinct to nurture gets transferred into our gardens instead. And there you are, summing up my vague notions in this great post :)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about Canada this morning. It's spring but we still have winter because there's a block of cold air extending our way from Sweden, which is bringing in snow and icy cold northerly winds. We're relatively unscathed, but up north there are houses with the drifted snow as high as their house. It's a taste of what our climate would be like if we didn't have the Gulf Stream protecting us. We're on the same latitude as Canada, so... you know what our growing season would be like!
Interesting your comment about nurturing VP. mmmm.
DeleteHeard about your weather..quite extreme for what we expect it to be like in England this time of year. Hope the magnolias won't suffer and any early blooming fruit trees. I note here, the squirrels chewing on the maple bark this morning..trying to get some sweet sap.
I absolutely agree. It is all worth it! I must say I am curious as to what made you cross the country to make a home in Nova Scotia. Something must have lured you from one coast to the other. Perhaps it is a story for another time.
ReplyDeleteI have a question about cold frames for you. In winter, do you clean the snow off the top of the cold frame? I let the snow sit on top off mine, but wonder if the plants inside lacked for light. A quick look yesterday told me all looks well enough, so hopefully I did not make to big a mistake. (I have all my herbs in there, as well as some succulents. I hope to use the frame to get an early start on things like tomatoes and annuals. How early do I dare to start seedlings? I figure I have to wait until early April. Thanks Bren!)
Thanks Jennifer for your kind comment and questions. Home is where the heart is I guess;-)
DeleteRe cleaning off my coldframe lid....generally I do keep it clean. We tend to have snow, rain, ice, more snow etc. I worry about the weight, and if I want to access my greens I can't lift that. Last year it pulled the Lexan from the frame so after that, I just decided to keep it clear. I wasn't sure about the insulation value vs light value. It was the weight that prompted the decision. However, if it is a nice fluffy snow and not too much, I don't rush out and clean it off. Guess I go by instinct.
As for when to start seedlings. My arugula, mizuna, spinach and a lettuce have all germinated in the cold frame. I put the seeds in a little while ago..think I posted when. Plan to blog about this so stand by. Tomato seeds started two days ago. I know..said I wasn't growing tomatoes this year after last year's blight!!
Does that help. Hope so.
Yes, thanks Bren that helps. The weather has finally warmed and I think I will start some seeds in the next few days.
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