• Kara Richardson

Why Starting a Garden During a Pandemic Is a Good Idea

Me in my garden growing up.
Childhood pictures of me in the garden.

I've always had an affinity to the garden. When I was a child, my mom and I stayed with my grandparents, and while my mom was at work, I was in the garden with them. They had what would equate to an urban garden and grew all sorts of flowers and fruits and veggies in the middle of the city. My earliest memories were of making mud pies in the flower bed and digging holes while my grandma or grandpa picked the food. When grandpa passed away, it was hard for me to keep the garden up. My grandma passed at the end of my senior year in high school, so I didn't have time to garden. Now, more than 20 years later, as I face a pandemic, a teenage son and growing health issues (myself and my mom included), I feel an increased urge to root myself in something from my past that made my heart smile.

Working in our garden.
Thinning out the eggplants.

Gardens are not "one size fits all". They can be as big or as small as you want. Gardening is not confined to race, creed, economic status or background. The only thing you need to garden is a love of food and a respect for the earth. Although I'm not a big bug or reptile girl, I love nature. I can admire how beautiful God has made every creature in its own right (although they can stay beautiful from afar). And I'm fascinated by the ability for a large plant of any kind to grow from a tiny little seed. Now, more than ever, I feel an overwhelming responsibility to leave my son with a world that will work with him and not against him, and that means a world that's not only socially just, but environmentally sustainable. If you're looking for a hobby that will make a difference in your life and the lives of others, then gardening might be for you.

Your reasons for wanting to start a garden might look completely different, but here are 10 reasons I chose to start mine.

  1. Gardening has gotten me out of the house, which has truly lifted my spirits.

  2. Gardening has focused my mind on something less "heavy". I balance my excessive news watching by basking in the beauty of plants growing and nature blooming.

  3. I get to grow vegetables for my own home with my own hands. I know where our food is coming from and what's being used to grow it.

  4. That means I'm spending a little less on groceries. Everything I'm able to grow myself doesn't have to be purchase. In this day and age, that money needs to go towards more essentials, like toilet tissue and hand sanitizer.

  5. And I might have something left for others. It's much better for your mind, body and soul to give than it is to receive.

  6. I get to see the miracle of life up close. I find it so amazing that a seed not only has the coding, but the first nutrients to produce a little plant life. It parallels so much to human life, and in an age where life can be undervalued so easily, it's refreshing to see God's creations do their thing up close.

  7. And teach my son about working with his hands. All kids need to know what it means to put a little sweat equity into something and see it come to life. He wants to grow pumpkins so guess what. We'll be growing some pumpkins!

  8. And how to not waste food. I'm hoping he will be more invested in not wasting food if he sees what goes into growing it.

  9. So that I can cook what we make. Overall, that is the goal, isn't it?

  10. And the world will be a little better for it. When plants grow, we not only benefit nature, but we supply the world with clean, fresh air. And we can all stand a cleaner earth, can't we?

Thinking about starting your own garden? Need some advice on ways to incorporate gardening into your lifestyle? Shoot me an email to contactus@createdandrestored.com. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I've also recorded a few videos on gardening that you can find on our Instagram page. Take a peek-they document my earlier gardening experiences (the good, the bad and the straight up UGLY).

Happy gardening! Here's to a successful new adventure.

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