Sowing the seeds of self-care
April 2, 2020 by DarcieEvery year I have great plans to create a large, bountiful garden that will supply me with an abundance of vegetables. It never gets quite as large as I envision, but I usually get enough plants to at least supplement my weekly grocery shop with vegetables like cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, and lettuce. This year the garden is taking on even more significance. Not only is my garden a way to ensure I have a steady of supply of food, but it also helps manage anxiety and provides a healthful hobby that I can practice in the safety of my own yard. Planting a garden – even if it’s just a couple of pots on a patio or windowsill – can be provide comfort and elevate your mood. Writer Stephen Heyman agrees in his post on Heated about the joys and benefits of planting a garden.
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Heyman compares the current renewed interest in gardening to the World War II Victory gardens that dotted yards across the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe during that difficult period. Lest you think that growing food in our backyards won’t even make a dent in the supply of food, Heyman notes that at their peak, victory gardens provided 40 percent of the the United States’ fresh fruit and vegetables.
You don’t need to have experience in order to derive pleasure and get results from a small garden. We modern folk have an advantage of the WWII-era gardeners in that we have at our fingertips a vast repository of gardening advice, instructional videos, and companies from which to purchase seeds, soil, and equipment. Even if it’s just one cherry tomato plant on your stoop or a small pot of baby greens, planting and harvesting something will give you pleasure far in excess of the effort put into it. Heyman ends on a hopeful note: “May this year’s victory gardens be not only a temporary salve but a perennial habit.”
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