The Gardening Habit

Kate Thornberry with the veggies of her labor

It started innocently enough. Just another mealy supermarket tomato. But this particular underwhelming tomato triggered not only disgust but also memories of homegrown tomatoes: red, sweet, tart, abundant. "If the only way to get a decent tomato is to plant a tomato plant, I guess I can manage a few tomato plants!"

I wonder if that's how we all start. One spring, four tomato plants; the next spring, a few jalapeños are added to the mix; and then, full-blown gardening mania. Because one thing vegetable gardening delivers like gangbusters is positive reinforcement: You get the freshest, best-tasting fruits and vegetables; packed with flavor, vitamins, and minerals; growing conveniently right outside your door. And vegetable gardening is one hobby that doesn't fall by the wayside as people age; as long as folks are able, even into their 90s, they keep growing their own. The difference in quality is that dramatic: No one wants to return to the underwhelming tomato and his sorry friends.

By my third year, I was growing tomatoes, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, cabbage, melons, broccoli, squash, cauliflower, carrots, onions, strawberries, basil, dill, oregano, lemongrass, green beans, snow peas, leeks, artichokes, kale, Swiss chard, beets, cucumbers, peaches, lemons, and tangerines in a mere fraction of our quarter-acre lot. My husband asked me once, "We are saving money on food because of this, right?" I thought about it, and even throwing in my labor for free, well, no. "What it is," I said, "is that we are getting fresh, organic produce and better nutrition. Probably not actually saving money in a strict sense, not after you figure in the water and compost and seedlings and everything. But we are getting better value for our money."

Oh, but that was seven years ago. Food prices have skyrocketed so shockingly since then that our modest home garden has gone from luxury to necessity, saving us significant amounts of money in addition to the superior food we enjoy. As the corporate food chain grows ever more untrustworthy, prices keep climbing, and the economy flounders, there has never been a better time to take control of your food supply and start growing your own. Here, have a tomato seedling ... the first one's free!