What is the purpose of a vegetable or produce garden or even a flower garden? In my existential moments during the most tiring moments of the summer, that is the question that I’m asking myself. Do I do it to save money or to eat healthier? Is it relaxing? Is it worth it? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes, but then the next question is why?
Why does it save money and why is my food healthier? Why is it relaxing and why is it worth it? Read on to understand a little bit about why our family gardens, to consider starting a garden for yourself, and to see some beautiful pictures of the growth of the garden.
What is the financial impact of the garden?
First of all, it does save money but not because growing food is cheaper than what I buy in the store but because we don’t buy food that matches the quality that we grow in the store. We take care to grow heirloom, organic produce with specific purposes but when I go to Aldi, I buy the cheapest lettuce or tomatoes because that is what is in our budget.
I make homemade pickles and salsa and purees from ingredients that I’ve taken care of and know what went into them. We know the value of it and if I was going to buy it at that quality in the store, I would spend so much more than I am spending on my garden. We do the garden as cheaply as we can but it still breaks even with what we would spend if I bought the cheapest I could get in the store. So to me, it is worth it to work in the garden to provide a better quality and healthier product for my family at the same cost as getting the cheap stuff.
The flower garden doesn’t replace anything financially but it brings us joy. The beauty in the colors and sizes, the smell, and the ability to bring cut flowers inside provide our family with a simple form of beauty without any cost aside from the seeds we planted.
Industrious Creating Tip: Search on YouTube, Pinterest, and even books from your local library to learn how to make flower arrangements pop. Just a little bit of effort can make an arrangement go from pretty to gorgeous.
Is gardening relaxing?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, at least in the moment. But when I rest at the end of the day or at the end of the week, knowing that I worked hard to provide for my family, I enjoy deep rest. In the middle of winter, there is a relaxing feeling knowing that what I need for my recipes can be found downstairs. The rest that you experience when you finish exercising, have showered, your heart rate has slowed down, and you take a deep breath knowing you did something hard but that your body is better for it.
I’ve only been gardening for a few years but I see so many benefits for it outside of just getting produce.
The value of our garden
I see in myself a tendency towards laziness or comfort. On a day that it’s in the mid-90s when my garden needs me I have to fight everything in me to get out and work hard instead of be inside in the air conditioning. I don’t like that about myself and I’m working to become someone who is more diligent.
I learned last year that scientifically there is something about working our hands in the dirt that helps clear the mind and relieve anxiety and depression. We do find joy and a better mood after working outside.
The garden is a labor of patience, but in the scheme of things, three months isn’t a very long time to wait to reap the fruit of my labor. Sometimes it feels like nothing is changing or growing except for weeds initially but I know that if I patiently wait and tend to the garden, I am guaranteed a return on my investment.
I see God in the garden. I don’t mean that I literally see Him. But what I do see is the creativity of my God, the patience that He has for me. I see the provision that He provides. Something about being in the garden helps ease me into conversation with my Creator like nothing else does.
Children in the garden
My children will learn that hard work isn’t bad. I know that as they grow up, these children of mine will grumble and complain when they have to do hard work. But right now, my daughter thinks that it is the biggest treat to play in the dirt or with the hose. I can use this time to have a positive attitude and follow her lead in excitement when we go out and work. By building in the fun that exists in work, hopefully, I’m gifting my children with the ability to not be burdened by labor.
While each of these thoughts and lessons I’ve learned in the garden are important and have shaped me and my character, this year the lesson that I’m feeling the strongest is that it is good to work hard no matter what. I have an almost 2-year-old and a 2-month-old as I write this and I am tired. It feels like I should be entitled to sit on the couch and watch a show or read a book or catch up on my magazines. I get grumpy when I don’t get what I want.
Right now though I feel a strong call to the garden because I know that if I don’t work on getting my seedlings started, I will not have the garden that I want in a few months. So instead of sitting and taking a break, I set a goal of planting one type of seed or planting for an hour at a time and accomplishing that goal each day. And even though I’m so tired, when I go to bed at night I feel that sense of satisfaction that I did what I was given and my family will be better for it in just a few weeks.
It is good to work hard because it is what God asked of me and when I obey in the small things like planting a few seeds, I’m becoming more of who He wants me to be, and right now, that is a diligent woman. Bennett feels the same way for himself. We are going to choose to follow through each season with diligence because what we have now is what we are responsible for. And if we want to be responsible for more, we had better prove ourselves worthy of what we have now.
Leave a comment below to let us know what you feel gardening is teaching you.
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