Gardening

I could never understand why my mom enjoyed gardening so much until I had a job sitting behind a desk. It dawned on me that gardening, and seeing the fruits of labor, gives us the chance to feel satisfied about having achieved something substantive. It’s a feeling that can be missing from school and white collar day jobs.

And of course gardening is also a great way to save money. I’ll admit that it’s not something I do well, but it’s something I’d like to do well. Fresh fruits and veggies taste better than stuff from the store and growing your own costs much less.

With pretty minimal effort, we’ve had success with tomatoes and peppers, but I’d like to expand that to carrots, broccoli, potatoes, onions, squash, lettuce, strawberries and others. At some point, it’d be cool to have some fruit trees too—peaches, pears, and apples. Maybe even a pecan and or walnut tree...

The next step would be canning— another skill I need to acquire, but which I think pays off pretty quickly.

I’d love to hear gardening success stories and advice for what grows well in Virginia or other areas where readers are located.