I used to think that gardening was just an activity for retirees with nothing better to do. Then I learned some of the common reasons for gardening:
- Nutrition: Most food in stores has been grown for quantity, rather than nutrient density. By growing our own food, we can supply more of the nutrients that our over-fed bodies are starving for.
- Therapy: Gardening gives a good balance of exercise and relaxation that can be very therapeutic. Being out in the sunshine and fresh air, and even exposing ourselves to soil microbes, is refreshing and health-boosting.
I didn’t realize just how therapeutic gardening can be until I talked to the manager of a school garden on a Navajo reserve. He told me that the introduction of gardening at school had a measurable effect on scholastic performance.
The most notable example from his school was a boy in grade three or four who had been performing at a first-semester grade one level. Much of this boy’s difficulty stemmed from domestic issues at home. When the school opened its garden, this boy was so drawn to it, that he would even spend his breaks in the garden. He became more cheerful; and was soon performing at his proper scholastic level – even though he wasn’t studying more.
- Independence: We are slaves to the food supply chain if we don’t know how to get our own food. While this would be a reason for hunting and fishing as well, gardening is more practical for most people. With big commerce and big government controlling our lives more and more, we should all be learning to garden. Freedom is worth all the mud sweat and tares that gardens make us deal with.
- Common-Sense: Agriculture is one of the best teachers of common-sense. It makes you reason from cause to effect, troubleshoot and anticipate problems, and adapt to your circumstances. Gardens don’t listen to excuses. You get an unbiased grade when you harvest.
While all of the above reasons should be enough to make us all want to try growing at least a little container garden, there’s a much bigger reason to get involved in agriculture: the garden is God’s favourite place to teach us about Himself.
God didn’t create Adam and Eve as pre-programmed robots. He created them to always be learning and growing in ability. He put them in the best classroom He could make: a garden. Each of the plants and animals in the garden had its own beauty and purpose. More than that, each had characteristics that would teach Adam and Eve about God’s character.
Gardening is a lot different now than it was in Eden – and for good reason. After Adam, disregarding God’s warning, brought sin and death into the world, God changed the nature of gardening. However, the garden is still one of the best places to get to know God. That’s why I recommend gardening for everyone.
