After a fourth season at the Community Garden, I am starting to feel like a seasoned gardener. That does not mean I have become an expert, but I have picked up some knowledge. I have been interested in agriculture, particularly permaculture, and how it fits neatly into sustainable development for many years. I have been exposed to and managed many food and agricultural programs worldwide. Still, there is something special about having my garden plot. I believe it is enriching for me and all those who enjoy the purity of gardening.
In my 20×20 sized plot, I recognize the different pests that invariably invade to chew their way through. I can’t blame them. I would have done the same with so many delicious vegetables and flowers within one grasp, but it can be very frustrating to see the quick decimation of one’s labor. Regardless, it has been fun to try out new types of vegetables and herbs and find out what thrives better, depending on how I take care of them. Also, after four seasons, I have befriended more people in the garden and had friends join.
The biggest lesson I have learned as a gardener, and why I always strive to do better, is that every season brings a set of trials and errors to overcome. At the end of the season, my mind is already on the next, and I am not alone in so doing, making decisions based on lessons learned and thinking about how next year will undoubtedly be even better. I don’t think I could start again in the spring if I had no solace in new challenges, experiments, and hope!
Gardening is a true passion and is only for some. It is hard, often backbreaking work, not the picturesque, romanticized trend so often depicted. It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort, but it is a thrill to see how after a particular period of labor, the first fragile shoots and spires pop up from the earth. I recommend gardening to everyone; who knows, it will give you happiness and fulfillment, a place to be that leaves everyday stress and commitments behind. It does for me.
I shot the following garden series with my Fujifilm XT-3. Fujifilm x100f, or my iPhone mini-12.
