Sami Grover
DCL
Living green and gardening organically go hand-in-hand. And the world is full of advice for would-be greenies wanting to create edible container gardens, build no-dig raised beds, or inoculate shiitake mushroom logs. Jasmin's guide on How to Green Your Gardening is an excellent resource for any newbies.
But it occurred to me the other day as I viewed the devastation that some Japanese beetles visited on my strawberries—nobody tells you how to deal with failure (my pathetic strawberries are pictured—although turning japanese beetles into chicken food was some consolation...)! I've had so many friends who have started a little veggie patch, sewn a bunch of seeds, only to give up after a disappointing (some would say heart breaking) first season of blight, weeds, drought or pests. But we all need to remember that failure is as much a part of gardening as harvesting delicious, fresh produce.
It's not even that we learn from failure—although undoubtedly we do. I'll never again try growing pumpkins in an undersized pot, or plant lettuce in the heart of summer and then disappear for three weeks. Really its about more than that. We need to acknowledge the fact that we are not in control, but simply stewarding a living, breathing community of plants, animals, microfauna, fungi and bacteria—giving it a nudge in the right direction, but ultimately watching (and praying) to see what happens. This may sound uncharacteristically Buddhist for a devout atheist, but failure can be a great reminder to relinquish control. Not only will that help us deal with failure, but it'll help us appreciate our successes too.
One of the best pieces of gardening advice I ever received was from permaculture guru Patrick Whitefield who, when asked about dealing with disappointment, advised our class that we should "never forget that each time a seed grows, it's a miracle."
So by all means let's learn from our mistakes and our failures - but we don't have to let the learning end at gardening techniques, soil management or correct levels of irrigation. With a bit of contemplation, we can learn something about life too.
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Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.
