Re: garden revival?

**T* A* <t*@growingedge.com>**

On Fri, 4 Jan 2008 10:30:59 -0500, Jeff Ball <jeffball@usol.com> wrote:

> I don't consider paying $25,000 for someone else to install a "great
> room" and make it low maintenance to be gardening.  I've never
> considered the landscape architect a proponent of gardening.  My
> experience has been that they don't know a lot about plants and their
> designs over the years for middle class homes are pretty prosaic and
> even boring.

I agree with you Jeff, that isn't gardening. As we saw in OKC, many  
of these outdoor great rooms and subsequent landscaping are more to  
show off how much money a person has than having anything to do with  
gardening.

> Our sense is that typical homeowners are moving away from gardening
> as such and moving to decorate their property with big containers and
> lots of annuals - not as traditional garden.  The comprehensive
> vegetable garden I fear is an unusual occurence these days.  I get
> the uncomfortable feeling that if a person did not experience eating
> fresh from the garden as a child, he or she is less likely to want to
> even try kohl rabi, Swiss chard, and eggplant.   My reason for
> vegetable gardening is to have lots of diverse taste treats and high
> quality flavor; neither being much of a priority to anyone over 30,
> in my view.

That is true, imo. I too, garden for the same reason as you do. I  
love to cook and eat high quality food with great tastes (like that  
party at the slow food home in OKC.) My simple criteria for good  
dining: flavors mingle/flavors linger.

> With almost half of the people in this country not cooking or
> learning to cook, they eat out many times a week.  If half the
> population eats fast food for more than half of their meals, the
> vegetable garden will not be attractive.  What a bummer.

Again, that is true. Many people in this country think a great dining  
experience is a Double Whooper with extra sauce. Anybody watch Fast  
Food Nation or Super Size Me? Farmers markets are booming out here in  
Oregon. Portland metro area has 43 farmers markets, some open three  
or four days a week. Many markets have all spaces filled and there is  
a waiting list for farmers to get in. So out here, there are a  
sizable number of people who do like good, fresh food.

> So maybe gardening is not thriving but I think caring for some
> plants, any plants,  is still a popular activity and will continue to
> be so.

Gardening back east and in the midwest may not be thriving but in  
Oregon in general, and my neighborhood in particular, which may not  
be the norm, veggie gardens are everywhere. I grow so much that I  
bring care packages to my employees, give away more to friends who  
don't grow all the varieties that I grow and donate bags of produce  
to the local food bank. I garden for the exercise (although each year  
my back aches more and more) and to create living, beautiful,  
colorful art. I couldn't do as much as I do without the help of a  
Kubota tractor that is for sure.

It is January and gardening again is on the horizon!!!

Tom Alexander
tom@growingedge.com
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters