tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859873319068539701.post727135421193689045..comments2024-03-19T15:39:56.057-04:00Comments on Natural Gardening: Why not more vegetables?Lisa Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08546271182217310594noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859873319068539701.post-24458951617694253752008-07-03T18:10:00.000-04:002008-07-03T18:10:00.000-04:00Oh, dear, and I was able to write about how well o...Oh, dear, and I was able to write about how well our small Farmer's Market in nearby Pendleton is doing. <BR/><BR/>I do think you're right -- people need to learn to appreciate vegetables (and other real food) for how delicious it is, rather than succumbing to the hard-wired response (at least here in the Southern U.S. to salt, fat, and sweet).<BR/><BR/>And good for you for encouraging by example -- keep planting vegetables and wildlife-attracting flowers and trees!<BR/><BR/>One of my encouraging experiences as a beginning gardener was to see what a difference one of our volunteer couples had made in their conventional lot. They're fabulous gardeners, and the contrast between their landscape and their neighbors was Inspirational. 15 years later, several of their neighbors have now mimicked their planting style.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06657232418012801175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859873319068539701.post-68230639850862484432008-07-03T08:34:00.000-04:002008-07-03T08:34:00.000-04:00I live in a neighborhood similar to the one you de...I live in a neighborhood similar to the one you describe in nearby G'ville--- although mine is more of a vinyl village than a plastic palace "development" (the saddest ironic usage of a word I know). But take off 1000 squ ft or so and they're all the same. And the landscaping parallels the construction. I've worked like the dickens to take out bad grass and boring shrubs, improve the soil, use natives, be more conservative with water needs, etc. And I have a vegetable garden one can see from the front. People walk by slowly; a few say they like it. Most look really puzzled. The guys with the trailers and big mowers scowl.<BR/><BR/>I can't give a fresh tomato away in my neighborhood. People look at me when I offer as if I'm trying to sell them drugs. And that's my point: gardening with vegetables will only come when people learn to eat vegetables. And, even more challenging, (because it's a little more work than buying fast food?) to prepare them. And when people understand why those things might not only be healthy for bodies but also for spirits, the social life of families, and I daresay, communities. And then there's the environment. We're talking cultural shift the size of a geological plate.<BR/><BR/>I alternate between total depression at the landscape and attitudes that surround me and guarded hope-- when I see a butterfly or a bird managing to make it here or the four year old next door taking an interest in my jeaune flamme tomatoes. Orange is her favorite color she tells me. Perhaps she'll try one one day.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, good luck with the parsnips. You've encouraged me to try them-- although I'm a little afraid to know what's 24 inches down in my soil. The top 12 or so are doing pretty well. Only took 3 years.CENhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06048211362201115798noreply@blogger.com