sharing a reply to a thread about why people garden-

[mopinko]

so, this was a reply to a thread about why people garden.
the op gardened to keep her grief at bay.

but this is why i have always done it.

the thing about gardening, for me, is that it roots me in time. it chains me to the wheel of life and seasons and time. i watch things grow, and from them i can tell the time. i can see it's arrow. it assures me there is a future. another spring coming after this one, and the next one and the one after that. that it's all one big circle.

[ratchiweenie]

1. Yes, yes, yes, gardening ties me to the earth and provides such a feeling of joy and

satisfaction. All that digging and lifting and hacking and weeding brings me joy. This will sound silly but when I was young I was afraid of spiders and bugs, but once I started gardening I realized that they were so important to what I was doing and all the fear went away. I still don't love them in my house but I just put them outside now where they can do the work they were created for. Gardening is my reward after a long cold winter.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Gardening has never appealed to me.

Those of you who get joy, peace, satisfaction, any other good thing from it, are very fortunate.

[MiHale]

3. I am from the earth...

Growing our own food is a connection to all that has come before. Any farming adventure can be a humbling experience, it teaches you patience, respect and an ability to overcome little setbacks in stride.
There are absolutely no guarantees of success, in less than a heartbeat everything could be gone, an unexpected freeze, drenching rains washing out seeds, it’s hope outweighing those scenarios.

Putting your hands in the earth restores a connection to Mother Earth. The currents coursing through us join strengthening both. When that connection is made Mother Earth knows what we need and will provide, it’s our duty to nurture what she gives.

[AKwannabe]

13. Love this reply

And could not have said it better myself.
Cheers!

🌹🌷💐🌾🥀🌺🌸🌼🌻

🍓🫐🫑🌶🥒🥬🥦🌽🥕

[Pobeka]

4. For me. The quality and taste is *waaay* better than what I can get at the market.

I'll go to farmer's markets to fill the void for unusual produce, or hard to grow in small boxes (like corn).

[marked50]

5. I like to get dirt under my fingernails.

Actually, I agree with all those here who have described what they like-including keeping grief at bay. It is a wonderful and productive distraction from all the crazy around us.

[SharonClark]

6. I mostly garden to create beauty.

But I plant tomatoes for the challenge.

[lark]

7. Gardening ties me to my mom, to the earth.

She grew up in the 1920's and was one of 11 children, so huge gardens were a survival necessity for them that stayed with her forever. She always grew a garden and I was always her assistant with that and with the flowers. Guess that's why they are so important to me. It's the tradition, my mom and connecting to the earth in a beneficial way. I dont to the tilling, hubby does that due to my bad back, but once the ground is prepared, I'm all in. I just love it, love seeing my seeds grow, then the buds come and the reward developes - yum! This year we are making a bigger garden, trying several different varieties of beans, think mom would be proud.

[mopinko]

8. very much ties me to my da.

if fact, starting this urban farm took me back to being connected to him, 40 yrs after he died.

he was the best 1st teacher a kid ever had.
he was an unlettered genius, having had to drop out of college due to the depression. he was a jr, pre-med, w straight a's.
he was also the best story teller is ever heard, even all these years later.

plant pretty beans. color has flavor, plant every hue you can find. grow green beans as a last resort.

[2naSalit]

9. All of the above reasons.

Gardening is good therapy.

[mopinko]

10. it works on a deep, deep level.

it connects to the animal in us.

[NutmegYankee]

11. Its a chance to disconnect from the technical world.

I'm an engineer often sitting in front of 3 monitors for work or sitting in front of a gaming computer at home.

Gardening allows me to connect to the natural seasonal cycles and I find immense relaxation and enjoyment when working soil and tending plants. I always had an enjoyment of plants and nature and almost went into environmental engineering. I switched to mechanical as I was also very mechanically inclined and I knew it would provide a better income. However the nature itch is always there, and camping, hiking, and gardening scratch the itch.

[onethatcares]

12. there's always something to do

in a garden. Even if it's looking at seed catalogs, the interwebs for problem solving, moving mulch, creating compost, planting, harvesting and all things in between.

the taste of a fresh vegetable or the aroma of a flower makes it all worthwhile.

and it teaches PATIENCE