Plant A Garden And Share A Harvest of Love

Plant a garden. Why bother? That’s a subject I’ve covered in previous newsletters. There are lots of good reasons to plant a garden – fresher and safer produce for you and your family; exercise and fresh air; better for the environment, etc. But there is yet another good reason for planting a vegetable garden – to extend all these wonderful benefits to the world around you.

Look around your neighborhood or town. Is there a poor family that barely gets by on meager earnings that doesn’t allow them the luxury of fresh fruits and vegetables? Has a family’s sole breadwinner recently lost their job and then beset with other challenges such as sudden illness, injury, natural disaster, etc. that put new pressure on their finances? Or maybe you just know some folks that for whatever reason are unable to grow their own garden. Well, why not share some of your bountiful harvest with them?

When you share your garden bounty with others, you are making a difference in other human beings’ lives in ways you may never be able to even imagine. For starters you are providing them with fresh and nutritious food. That’s a given. But you are also doing so much more. The simple act of sharing what you have with those who are hurting is a blessing that not only feeds bodies, but lifts spirits, wipes away tears, and forges bonds of friendship that can last a lifetime.

So don’t let that excess harvest go to waste. Share it with your neighborhood or even with your community or town. Because, my friends, your simple act of generosity is doing more than filling bellies. It is spreading love. And boy, do we need to be sharing more of that!

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How To Grow A Lousy Garden

Yes, you read that right. The lousy garden. A patch of dry ground that is either completely bare or choked with weeds. Truly, the anti-nirvana of gardening. Its creation has always been a closely guarded secret. But for you, my loyal reader, I’m now going to reveal the secret tactics for growing and harvesting this bumper crop of nothing.

Use the soil as is – Heck, it’s good enough for the lawn, so it should be good enough for the vegetables. Why waste money and time with compost and fertilizer?

Give little thought to where you situate the garden – No sun? No problem!

Never water – My water bills are high enough. Why do I need to provide water for my garden? Don’t we get rain? Isn’t that enough? Now excuse me, I have to go water my lawn, because a green lawn is a happy lawn.

Never weed – Weeding is hard work! I don’t want to break a sweat. Besides, it’s the weekend. My tee time is at 9:00, and after that, I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon lying in my hammock and drinking a tall cool glass of lemonade.

Use lots of pesticide – Uh oh, there’s a bug on my tomato plant. I don’t know what it is, but it’s probably up to no good. I want it dead, so I’ll spray gallons of this stuff made of complex chemicals I can barely pronounce. Besides, the manufacturer says it’s safe, so I believe them. They wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true. And who cares if I kill a few birds, bees, or fish? All that matters is that my plants are bug-free.

Just follow these simple instructions, and I absolutely promise you that you will have the garden of your nightmares.

But what if you want a garden that actually produces? Well, there are simple tactics for achieving that too. All you have to do is the opposite of all the above.

You’re welcome.