I recently read that Organic Gardening Magazine was going to change its name to Organic Life. That’s more than fine by me since I think that we should all be encouraging the thought that gardens are absolutely tied to everything else we do. Gardeners very quickly discover that “everything is connected to everything else,” so why not celebrate that with a magazine name change?
For far too long the veggie garden has been thought of as plot that should be consigned to the backyard. Those vegetables, our life source, have not only been hidden away, but these gardens thought of as only utilitarian. But why not enjoy our vegetable patches as garden rooms to be lived in? Why not celebrate this abundance and the amazing flavors that such landscapes provide? Why not sip cocktails or eat dinner there, toasting the plants that provide the flavorful, life-sustaining produce we enjoy?
When I recently posted a photo of this vegetable garden on Facebook many people commented that they wished their garden looked this good. I’m the first to admit that weeds happen, and our gardens aren’t always this well tended. But I’m afraid that all gardeners sometimes forget to maintain their vegetable gardens for appearance in the same way we do our flowerbeds. Yet the vegetable garden can be just as beautiful if we decide that it too is a place where we should be hanging out and enjoying the natural world.
Where might you put a table and chairs, ready for cocktails or tea in your vegetable garden? Is there space next to the tomatoes or beans for a hammock or bench? How can your veggie garden be more than just a utilitarian space to grow dinner…is it possible for this part of your landscape to be just another location for celebrating the connection we have to plants and gardens? An Organic Life? You Can Grow That!
Put a table and chairs in the center of your vegetable garden and toast to how everything is connected to everything else. Cheers!
