Dharma Gardens

It seems that there is often at least some mitigating factor to most misfortunes.  Even if they are woefully inadequate to balance adversity, such gifts should not be disregarded.  Indeed: the darker the night, the more valuable is even a single ray of light.  While I worry that the current economic downturn will be with us for a matter of years rather than weeks or months, and that my business might end up amongst its countless casualties, there appears to be more than one silver lining even to this dark and threatening cloud.

Our eldest son — who has been living in our home with his girlfriend since he graduated from college last May — commented to me recently that he might like to return yet again after grad school and renovate an unused portion of our rambling farmhouse in which to raise his family.  Even if this is but a fleeting pipe dream of his, it seems that multi-generational families are on the rebound.  I find this to be a profoundly beautiful and healthy phenomenon for society as a whole.

And that is not the only upside to the ailing economy: tough times have encouraged countless families to consider growing at least some of their own food.  The consequences of this movement promises to reshape our society in an equally profound manner from healthier diets and lifestyles to an increased awareness of whether the costs of a corporate approach to food are worth the convenience.

As someone who has been moving towards growing a majority of my food, and to eating out of my garden year ’round, I would like to offer some encouragement and a few suggestions to the budding Recession Gardener.

Firstly: I would like to welcome you to a millennia-old tradition whose rewards I find second only to family.  Growing your own food is a unique opportunity towards a better lifestyle: offering exercise, a healthier diet, and quality time to nourish the soul .  I trust you will discover that the joys will easily offset the hassles and disappointments.

In terms of advice:

1) Set reasonable goals for the first few years.  Don’t rush in headlong and spoil what can otherwise develop into an enduring lifestyle.

2) Plan ahead and try to keep your options open.  When designing your garden, be mindful that you may want to expand it in future years.

3) Start with easy crops.  Treat yourself to those that you and your family particularly enjoy.  These are not mutually exclusive goals, and you will likely find that those favorites are even better fresh from your own garden.  Tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, snap peas and herbs are all popular and easy to grow; there are many others as well.

4) Approach gardening from the direction that most suits you.  Just because your neighbor only grows organic heirloom vegetables doesn’t mean that the conveniences offered by hybrids and chemical fertilizers might not be a better introduction for you.  (I do warn against pesticides and herbicides in a vegetable garden.)

5) Disappointments are inevitable.  It is important to learn from them and move on.  If you can fix a problem in the following year, so much the better.  If not, perhaps it is better not to struggle with a particular crop until you have a new solution to try.

6) Share and enjoy.  Swap crops with a neighbor, or offer them samples from your garden.  It is a wonderful feeling to share your bounty; and who knows: you just might cultivate yet another new gardener.

It is heartening to see high-profile vegetable gardens being dug under the auspices of Michelle Obama and Maria Shriver.  They are great symbols and shining examples to us all.  But ultimately that is all they are: symbols and examples.  By contrast, each new home garden is a genuine wonder to behold, and far more important in our daily lives.

I hope that you can find ways to cultivate some good from each misfortune life hands you.  Yes: a storm is brewing, and it looks to be an ugly one.  We can’t stop the rain, so we should welcome each opportunity for growth it affords us.  Don’t worry.  Grow happy.

-John