Why do I garden?

Bunnies didn't get these beans!

I am of the opinion that everyone should grow at least a little bit of their own food. I am of the opinion that everyone should know what  real tomato tastes like, still warm from the sun. Aside from being round and red a tomato from the garden has no discernible characteristic marking it a relative to a tomato in the grocery store. A tomato from the garden is real while the tomatoes from the store are poor imitations.

All romantic notions regarding real tomatoes put aside, gardening is not always easy. The first year we lived in our house I tried to grow flowers, green peppers and tomatoes. I killed all of the flowers. I got 1 mealy looking tomato. My one lonely green bell pepper was eaten by a rabbit while I was at work. It was a complete heap of fail and I decided that I had a black thumb. That didn't stop me. I kept trying, making fun of myself all the while, watching as failures turned to success.

I have had enormous failures. Mold kills my squash annually. I've never in all my years grown a single pumpkin. Rabbits ate my green beans. Weeds continuously attack and I'm always on the lookout for the next best recipe for organic bug spray.

But do you know what else? I've been told by two different master gardeners that the same thing happens to them. They kill things all the time and the only way to truly learn is to just dig in and grow.

So dig in and grow I have. This year I have so much garlic, tomatoes and cucumbers that I have to share. In a  month or so I'll have to go digging for potatoes. Kale lives through the frost and even snow. Green beans after years of failure have turned into a joy. Etc, etc, etc.

My advice? Just try it. Besides gardening is a great way to burn off calories ;)