Gardening means hard work, sweat and weeks of waiting for that first sun-ripened bite of produce… with the hope of many baskets full of peas, tomatoes and squash to follow.
But what if the garden doesn’t produce as well as you hoped? What if the produce you reap barely repays the minimal costs you incurred? Is it still worth it?
Powdery Mildew attacked the zucchini and squash plants. Just as they were reaching the zenith of their producing power, they died. Yesterday we enjoyed the last of the zucchini from this year’s garden. My hopes of a freezer full of shredded zucchini won’t be realized and many of the remaining vegetables will not be ripe before we leave the garden in friends’ hands for a month.
Disappointed? Yes. Was it worth it? Definitely!
Planting a seed and watching it sprout, grow and blossom makes me stand in awe of God’s creation. I believe the world was spoken into existence. Wonder of creation should keep me dizzy with awe. I forget. Easily. Gardening reminds me.
Seeds are cheaper (and more fun!) than a child’s science textbook and open the door to countless questions about life cycles, biology and nature. The weeks of waiting for that first flower to appear open the door to learn about patience. The peas Rose happily hunted for and popped in her mouth were a wonderful bonus.
One of my goals for the year was to spend considerably more time outside than in the past. A garden forces you to get outside, breath in the fresh air and bask in the vitamin D! Gardening not only gets you outside, but is good exercise!
Finally, the garden was worthwhile because it encourages gratitude. Not only gratitude for the amazing variety of vegetables or a big glass of ice water after an hour’s hard work, but that even if my garden fails, we still have food to eat. My children will not go vegetable-less because my zucchini died. For that I am very grateful.
I have had successful gardens in the past, but think that even a failed garden is worth-while.
What do you think?
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers and 30 Minute Challenge at Steady Mom!
photo by Alicia Jo McMahan
Last year I babied a tomato plant that didn’t produce even ONE tomato for me, haha. But yes, it was worth it. It was a learning experience in so many ways.
We had mildew on our yellow squash last year too. Definitely frustrating, but if each plant yields only one or two vegetables, I don’t count it as a failure. My kids love picking whatever they can. It’s a special moment to get to take each piece of produce from the vine. I find the whole gardening process instructive and refreshing.
So wishing we could have a garden. Our yard does not get enough sun to grow veggies. We have a few tomato plants. Trying a zucchini for the first time this year. A few ornamental herbs…a struggling lemon tree. We do have pear trees (fabulous in fall) and a pomegranate tree (conversation piece if not nutritious). We enjoy what we can…your post reminds me that even if we had a big veggie garden it might not be all that I currently dream, but it would still be lovely.
So sorry Mel. I know that feeling too. Last year, we were gone all summer and eagerly planted a fall garden. Unprecedented rains came and it drowned!
Julie—what did you do to avoid it this year? I’m planning to rotate the crops, but is there anything natural I can put in the soil now?
KDL-Wow! You may not have a big garden, but what a fun variety! I can hardly wait to try planting some fruit trees once we move to a place of our own.