Before summer hits, and you can't find a decent tomato, how about starting some veggies and herbs from seed? It is a great way to save a ton of money, and ensure your food is organic, without the fancy price tag.
I wont talk about how to garden. My thoughts today, are about why to garden. Gardening is taking control of the food you eat. Even if you plant only one thing, that one vegetable is going to be fresh and probably organic. It will have ripened completely before you pick it, and of course, you won't spray it with chemicals and treat it with waxes.
Gardening also brings a family closer. Despite what my teenagers say, we have a lot of fun in the garden. If nothing else, we have conversations across rows of tomatoes and peppers, that are too uncomfortable at the dinner table. We have even had arguments over the weeding! Gardening makes my children proud, and that is all the incentive that I need.
Gardening is also frugal. You can cut corners and buy on sale all day long, but there is nothing that can compare to the price of a basket full of produce. It costs $1.00 for seeds, and a bit of sweat. Freeze, dry and can everything extra, but don't forget to eat your own food at every meal while you can. Enjoy the work that you put into it, and suddenly, it is less like work and more like life.
Currently on the farm, we are harvesting very early wild greens, and checking the winter damage to the land. Despite the sunny weather, we know that there is at least one more snowstorm before true spring, and our hands itch to get digging, but we know to wait.
Starting seeds certainly helps us hold back on working the soil too early. There will be plenty of time for digging and weeding in a couple of months.
I urge you to get out there and get your hands dirty. It is one chore that will always be worth it.
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