Well, you know that saying, don’t you, that we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors but rather borrow it from our children? I love that. I also love what my mother always used to tell me–blossom where you’re planted. And finally, I love a line my grandmother said about her little patch of earth, whether it was in the Bronx in New York City after emigrating from Ireland, or that little white house next to the train tracks in New Jersey (here she is pictured with my grandfather many years ago). She used to say, “It may not be much, but it’s my responsibility.” I have always taken that to heart, whether it meant putting a pot of geraniums on my fire escape or a small pot of basil on the windowsill (both at apartments in Manhattan), planting a couple of tomatoes in the little strip of backyard at a townhouse or converting my side and back lawns into a garden at the house where my husband and I have raised our children (both here in metro-Atlanta).
I used to worry about what would become of my garden one day, about whether or not what I did even mattered. New people may one day move in, and they may tear out my garden and put back the lawn. I finally realized, however, that I didn’t need to be concerned with that–that for however long I serve as steward of this piece of land, I know that I am improving the air, water, and soil. I know that I am having special connections with people, enjoying healthy food, learning more than I could have imagined, and teaching my children. I know that the abundance of bees and butterflies that my garden attracts makes a difference not just to my garden but to others in my area that benefit from them as well.
And so, I suggest to anyone who is on the fence about starting a garden that you just take that first step. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be forever. Visit Farmer D Organics in-store (there’s a big sale this weekend) or online for advice, supplies, and inspiration. And blossom where you’re planted.
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