In the ten years I have been a member of this church, I knew that we were counseled to garden. I’ve heard a number of good reasons. But until I read this lesson, I did not know that we were so strongly encouraged to plant and produce.
I really loved the quote from President Kimball on gardening. “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property.” Not just a little bit, or a couple of flowers and a tomato plant or two. “All…that you feasibly can.” I’m not completely certain we need to plow every available square foot of lawn, but I’m guessing that three pots out back don’t quite cut it.
So what do you do if you have very little space? President Kimball mentions that apartment dwellers can use pots and planters. In modern lingo, this is called “container gardening,” and if you want more information, there are a ton of books you can get from the library and websites you can hit online. These will help you have an idea of how to get started and what you can grow.
Another great resource is a book called Square Foot Gardening. This book (and its subsequent website) lays out a more efficient method of gardening. This may or may not work so well with large Latter-day Saint families. The idea is that most gardens are laid out in rows, and the spacing itself is inefficient. Also, there is a lot of surplus food. Most people give it away, but we Mormons should be canning it for our food storage. (Canning: another thing to put on my ‘learn to’ list!) The author recommends gardening in squares, maximizing the area because you don’t have to waste space in rows. It’s an interesting idea and one I’m planning to try next spring.
Nowadays, everyone wants beautiful, show-worthy yards. We may worry about destroying the idyllic look. However, I think we can still have well manicured front yards and incorporate food plants. Few trees are as beautiful as apples trees in bloom, for instance, and you can plant these around your home. When choosing bushes, consider berry plants. These can enhance both your front yard and your year’s supply. When planting more traditional veggies, you may want to regale them to the back yard – or you may find a way to display them beautifully out front, with a little planning. In fact, the author of Square Foot Gardening recommends intermixing food plants with flowers to beautify your garden and provide you with table decorations.
After I read this lesson, I was super-pumped to go out and plant a garden of my own. Of course, it is June, which means I am stuck with making a late start of it. No fear – next year, I can start even sooner!
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