Gardening for community.

I've learned a lot in my garden.

I've found out the hard way that mint doesn't believe in boundaries. Potatoes in the compost pile can lead to more potatoes. And that cilantro behaves not unlike Goldilocks.

I've also learned alot about myself.  

I enjoy planting seeds. I love all of the fussing and waiting, watching, and listening.  I can forget about a pepper, and let it go from ripe to rot without even noticing the poor thing.  And that I can make it work, usually with what I have, what I can borrow, or what I can find in an alley.  I guess that last bit is a family trait. My dad once found a fern, strung it up, and has had it longer than he has had me as a daughter.  My sister can find a treasure anywhere, for pennies or peanuts.

And I've learned about others.  

Who good friends are- they'll be there to water when I'm not, and let me tell them about every plant's needs.  I've shared heirloom tomatoes with chefs that I know will make them into a creative meal, teaching me more about their potential that I even realized. I've watched my husband make friends with neighbors by sharing my seedlings- like a peace offering of sorts.

"Out of gardens grow fleeting flowers but lasting friendships."
-  Beverly Rose Hopper  

Watching the simple act of gardening unfold and expand into a sense of community is exciting.  You may not be able to keep a garden full of carrots or melons year round, but the experiences that come with the trials, errors, epiphanies and questions are beyond rewarding.  Knowing that the flowers you planted bring bees to your neighbor's yard to pollinate is quite satisfying.  Think about it- you can't really garden alone.  What you plant and how you care for it affects your environment, mood and neighbors.

"A garden is a public service and having one a public duty.  It is a man's contribution to the community."
-  Richardson Wright, Truly Rural, 1922  

Even if you only have a single pot of rosemary, I bet someone close to you doesn't.

"You don't have a garden just for yourself.  You have it to share."
-  Augusta Carter