Our bountiful gardens
Image by Flickr user beautifulcataya, used under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
I’m not a gardener myself, even though I’ve been meaning to get some cilantro, parsley, and basil growing in pots out on our condo’s porch. (Maybe next year… Ah, what the heck, let’s be more committed than that. Next year: mini herb garden!!!) Last week the Isthmus, our local weekly alternative newspaper, ran this story about a UW Ph.D. student in environmental studies who, with a team of interns and volunteers, conducted a study of the whats, hows, and whys of gardening in our area. Although gardening makes up a small percentage of total food dollars, Madison-area gardeners nonetheless generated $9.4 million in food in 2010 across 48,184 gardens. Not too shabby! The study found that most garden for the love of it, not primarily for the produce (delicious and nutritious though it is).
I can barely remember that we have huge plants. I can only imagine how bad it would be if I had to take care of small, out-of-the-way plants.