At the beginning of our collective Covid journey, there was concern, panic, and the worry that there simply would not be enough food for everyone. This was exasperated when droves of people rushed to the grocery store to stock up on coffee, canned goods and, of course, toilet paper.
Increased shortages led to increased demand. While the news showed stores faced with empty shelves, many of us sat at home and tried to think of ways we could better equip ourselves in the event of a national crisis. Was buying up all of the available food really the best answer?
Living through Covid has been horrific and traumatic, but it did lead to a silent movement. Months after our first shutdown, everywhere we went, we noticed that more and more people had started growing gardens.
Gardening is empowerment
While numerous gardeners gave up their hobby after their first season, it has sparked the mounting desire in many to cultivate their own food. Whether this is a call-back to older times, or the new normal, it is rare to drive down a road in southwest Missouri now without seeing at least one garden.
We have seen in-ground gardens, raised beds, porches full of containers, and elaborate grow house systems. Some span an entire acre while others take up an apartment balcony. It has been inspiring to see people make do with what they have. It has also been inspiring to see people use their hard-earned money to invest in their pantry.
Gardening has always been a way to take ownership over your food supply. It is empowering – not only are you taking accountability over your health, but you are ensuring that you will not want.
Victory gardens had a huge impact when rations were imposed during both the World Wars. Since then, we have been existing in a time of complacency. Our needs have easily been met by Wal-Mart and Kroger.
We are realizing now, that might not always be the case. By gardening, we are taking our power back. Sure, we have no guarantees that what we grow will survive (this is especially true for the first-time gardener). But, with time, comes experience and, anyways, there’s nothing quite like your first home-grown tomato.
Gardening is entertainment
While most areas have gone back to business as usual, not so long ago, we were stuck in our houses and bored. Remember when almost every picture you saw on Instagram was of a loaf of homemade bread? While delicious, I imagine most of those people baking where simply looking for something to do.
There are a host of benefits to gardening, the least being that it is entertaining. It is a breath of fresh air when we are tired of looking at four walls. It is an opportunity to grow and learn in a field we are not familiar with. We are giving the opportunity to grow and nurture a real, living thing. This should be a big deal.
Gardening gives you the chance to fill endless hours with research about methods, tools, ideal crops for your zone, and soil amendments. It is possible to spend most of a day going through an entire seed catalog.
Gardening is not cheap, or easy. But if you are looking for a productive way to spend your time, you can’t beat it.
Gardening teaches commitment
As soon as you dig your first row or fill your first bed, you are making a commitment. I’m sure this doesn’t cross most people’s minds, but a garden, in itself, is not sustainable without help.
While nature assists us out when it rains and mulching can help keep weeds down, there will always be times where you have to fulfill your responsibility to your garden. In the summer, we can go weeks without rain which means you can see me outside in the early morning hours watering my plants by hand. In the spring, on the other hand, we get way too much, and I’m forced to weed every other day.
When you invest so much time and money in something, you can’t help but be committed to the outcome. The endless hours you spend cultivating, pruning, and watering provides a sense of ownership.
And the last thing you want to do is give up when you have invested your time (and yourself) in growing food for the season.
Gardening helps us disconnect
There is such a thing as too much social media. It is easy to get caught up on your phone, scrolling through pictures, posts, and the next thing you know, you’ve wasted hours with nothing to show for it.
The garden is my reminder to unplug. It gets me outside instead of sitting on the couch. There are days when I need a push, when its 100+ degrees outside and, if not for the garden, I would be happy to spend all day in the air conditioning.
Social Media also stresses me out. It feels like we are inundated with news and the need to stay up to date on everything. Realistically, I don’t need to know that Jane’s kid started school or Great Aunt Esther checked into church. In fact, it is healthier to have some distance from knowing everything about everyone.
We all need time to connect with nature and slow down. Gardening is my favorite way to get away from the stresses of our modern age, take a deep breath, and relax.
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