Magical Measures of Success
Having fresh homegrown vegetables that have been treated with care can be a healthy alternative to store-bought vegetables of unknown origin and history . When growing your own plants , you know what conditions they have been grown in and what they have and haven ’ t been treated with . This is true of plants that produce a fair amount with average-sized fruits and those that produce a bounty of huge ones . The first bite of harvest is a treasure , no matter if the harvest is large or small . In either case , there is something magical about eating vegetables that a gardener has grown themself ; a special something that makes them better . The traditional measures of success for a garden rarely takes this touch of practical magic into account , in part because it doesn ’ t fit on a scale very well . It is hard to quantify exactly how much more value a fruit that one has nurtured and watched grow has over one simply paid for . Many gardeners like their own produce best and that isn ’ t necessarily a bad thing , even if they were the only one to think so . Sometimes being happy is worth more than winning contests . Nor does the traditional concept of the “ perfect garden ” address the person it should benefit the most : the gardener . The perfect imperfect garden should provide exercise but not too much , as that gets too close to work and creates excuses why not to do it . It should occupy just the right amount of time to tend and care for it , but not so much that it becomes a burden . Relaxing for a few minutes every day to smell the roses is said to have health benefits in part by allowing one to be calm . Not only does over-worrying about minutia and being perfect disturb this calm , but it can rob the gardener of valuable time better spent enjoying the plants and having a nice life .
More Not Always Better
In a commercial setting , the ratio of plant to gardener is kept high , sometimes hundreds or even thousands of plants per worker . Less efficient is the lone home gardener with a dozen or few dozen plants , but each plant can be given more care each visit . Freed from having to compete with huge numbers for attention , home garden plants can receive a level of care that wouldn ’ t be cost-effective in agriculture . This isn ’ t necessarily a bad thing , as anyone that has over-planted squash in their garden can attest to . Enough to meet your family ’ s need is great , enough to give some to the neighbours can be even better , but having a small mountain of squash can be less fun . More is not always better ; sometimes just enough is best . This is a concept that isn ’ t new . “ In all things , moderation ” is a well-known Greek theme , and it ’ s one that could use some dusting off . The same applies to fertilizing and watering , as applying too much can be worse than not applying enough .
This is not meant to condone sloppy or careless gardening practices , but rather to encourage those that may not have perfect gardens that the gardens they do have may be more perfect than they first appear . Even if they don ’ t win the blue ribbon at the local fair , if they improve the quality of the life of the gardener and those they feed , then they accomplish the most important part of having a home garden . What it says on the scale may indicate bragging rights , but that may have little to do with how much good it does . A small backyard garden may wind up costing a little more than it should and not produce as much as it could , and still be the perfect garden for someone ’ s life .
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NOT ONLY DOES overworrying about minutia and being perfect disturb this calm , but it can rob the gardener of valuable time better spent enjoying the plants and having a nice life .”
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