The Great Equalizer

• Posted on 18 June 2020
• 0

20% off any single* item for Dad; now CLOSED Sundays!

As of Saturday, the spring of 2020, a season like no other before, is in the books.  This hybridized version of “Groundhog Day” and “The Twilight Zone” is coming to a close.  It is too soon to claim victory, that ‘normalcy’ has returned.  Most assuredly it has not.  At this point, I don’t know if I would recognize ‘normal’ if I saw it.  Perhaps the closest thing to ‘normal’ any of us know is being in the garden.  Gardening is the great equalizer.

Gardening is a process.  It is a process of change.  Gardening is a process of action, with the hope for bountiful rewards, despite many setbacks.  Gardening is dominated by optimism.  Were that not the case, humanity would have died off eons ago.  Gardeners intuitively understand that change is a functional part of success.  Gardening is the great equalizer.

The lofty optimism of the spring gardener is quickly replaced, with the sometimes-harsh reality of summer.  Spring gardeners start off with exuberant enthusiasm; that is wonderful. However, successful summertime gardeners embrace the realities of unending rains or drought, pests, disease and weeds. Gardening is not called ‘harvesting’. Harvesting comes as a result of methodical diligence and overcoming many difficulties.  Gardening is the great equalizer.

As much effort as gardening takes, and it takes a lot, it yields much more than it requires.  That yield is not simply measured in fruit, foliage, or flowers.  Perhaps the best bounty that is received from the garden is screen-time separation.  Everyone deserves a break from that.  

Father’s Day is the time when I remind conifer lovers to spray/treat for bagworms and spider mites.   For those persons wanting to take the most organic and earth-friendly approach, I suggest Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew that contains Spinosad®, a trusted organic chemical used extensively in organic fruit production; does a good job on both spider mites and bagworms…as long as you apply now. 

Tune in to “The At Home Show”, Father's Day edition, Saturday 8am!

David Bates

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