Gardening is the unexpected teacher of life lessons. When I initially began gardening, little did I know at the time how it would change my life. Not only does gardening have a plethora of benefits for your mind, body and soul – the deeper lessons that it teaches you will transform your life! I initially began gardening as a way to keep my Nana’s passion alive. It very quickly became my passion and my saviour! The lessons I have learned from gardening are all transferable to this journey called life!
6 Life Lessons Learned from Gardening
- Surrender to the process and expect the unexpected.
- Gardening has taught me perspective. I have learned that the only certainty in gardening is nothing. You can plan what you sow, but you cannot control the outcome. There are many variables outside of our control – be it the weather or pests – that impact the outcome of the growth of our vegetables. Just like there are many variables in our life outside of our control, such as the current pandemic. But what we can control is how we choose to respond to the outcome and circumstances. We can choose to get angry that the darn aphids destroyed our crops, or we can choose to focus on protecting our plants and harvesting what we can. When we surrender to the process, we allow ourselves to be open to the unexpected.
- What is meant to be, will be. Trust the timing.
- Similarly, timing is everything. Both figuratively and literally. There is the obvious rule of timing with gardening and ensuring the temperatures are optimal for various plants. Then there is the divine timing of the universe and what is meant to be. For example, we can plan to have an amazing harvest of say zucchini’s and only end up with a handful. But we have a bumper crop of cucumbers. The next year, it could be the opposite. If you allow yourself to embrace the harvest of your garden, you will find that you are more at peace with what is meant to be. Similarly, in life, trusting that what is meant to be will be, when it is meant to be.
- Quiet the mind and channel the voice within.
- Our minds are constantly on overdrive and overconsuming everything that is happening in the world. Some sit in meditation in hopes of calming their minds and others turn to their garden. When you garden alone, you learn to surrender to the chatter within. As you weed through your garden, you find yourself weeding through the emotions suppressed within as well. Your garden quickly becomes your safe haven where you can embrace solitude and turn inwards. If you really allow yourself to surrender, you can even start channeling messages from your plants and animals!
- What you plant now, you will harvest later.
- The saying goes that you reap what you sow. If you have a solid foundation of soil and good quality seeds, you are more likely to have a better outcome with your harvest versus having poor soil and toxin ridden seeds. Similarly in life, if you invest time in bettering your body, mind and soul, you allow yourself to be open to reaping the harvest of your inner work.
- It takes a village to grow a garden.
- So often we think of our vegetable gardens as our own individual projects (or babies, no judgment!). When I initially began gardening, I felt so alone in the journey. I had the knowledge that my Nana had passed down to me but there was still so much more I had to learn. I quickly realized that gardening is a collaborative community endeavour. Gardening transcends all barriers and unites strangers as one. By joining online Facebook groups, I have learned a wealth of knowledge from fellow gardeners and built some amazing friendships! Collaboration in life allows us all to raise our vibration and create something beautiful!
- My garden is a reflection of myself.
- My garden reminds me of myself. It is growing, changing and a little wild and crazy! While it has the ability to weather the storms and transition through the seasons, it still requires watering and nurturing. It goes through periods of growth, harvest and rest. We too as humans have the ability to weather the storms and transition through the seasons of our lives. But just like our garden, we must nurture our souls and bodies and give ourselves space to grow and rest.
Now, these are just some of the life lessons that I personally have learned. When I put the question, “What life lessons has gardening taught you” to my local Facebook gardening group, the response was overwhelming! The folks in the ‘Gardening in the Fraser Valley’ group are a supportive, knowledgeable bunch! My passion and knowledge of gardening has grown vastly since I joined that group!
Below is a compilation of just some of the many lessons that gardening enthusiasts have learned from gardening! If you have a life lesson that you have learned, comment below and I will add it to this post!
Gardners Share their Lessons Learned from Gardening
- We think we are nurturing the garden, but the garden is nurturing us.
- Appreciate life, the sun, the moon, the bees, the water and soil and so on…everything just ties into growth and new life to feed us or help us in some way.
- Everything in life has a season and will change.
- Sometimes less is more and better to try and fail than not try at all. At least you learn from your failures!
- If you lose someone you can feel their soul in your garden.
- Every child deserves to discover the wonders of nature in their own backyard
- Even though you try as hard as you can, you can’t always control the outcome.
- Time spent in a garden (any garden) is never wasted.
- Patience, lots and lots of patience. And the willingness to try, try again!
- Working with soil energizes me!
- I am not in control.
- Just do it… Life can surprise you and persevere!
- Preparation is the key to success. That… and luck.
- I can solve many problems in an hour in the garden pulling weeds.
- Patience, and don’t always believe what you are told.
- Take it easy. A good life is a simpler life.
- Flowers will be flowers… applies to a lot of other things including babies and kids.
- When things don’t go right try to figure out what can be done better for next season versus dwelling on what went wrong. Learn from past failures and grow from them.
- Patience. And that the weatherman knows very little.
- I have more patience and a greater appreciation for spiders and insects.
- You can’t control everything. That is a hard one for me, and still learning, but mother nature is quick to remind me when I forget!
- I never had to buy weed since a green thumb became the way to save and savour!!! Enjoy it!
- Be aware of the medicines around your pastures and forest…
- Something shouldn’t be considered undesirable because it is less than perfect.
- Timing can make the difference between success and failure.
- Always find the beauty in things, take the time. Believe in the future and cultivate it, live in the moment (the way the sun backlights something but only for a minute before it moves!)
- We can plan something all we want, but we may end up with a naturalized version of our vision when things migrate where they want to be!
- Patience really IS a virtue. Also, to be optimistic – so the bean crop failed last Summer. This Summer it will be awesome!
- You plan and hope for the best but there are many things out of your control.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – some endeavours fail and other succeed
- Don’t be afraid to experiment and break the rule book.
- Plants are like people; you need to consider their unique differences in order to help them grow.
- It’s sometimes hard to get started but can be so rewarding if you put in the hard work it takes to build/ change do / grow something!!
- Nature always wins!
- We don’t get to define nature. Nature defines us. We don’t get to make the rules, but we can learn to live within them if we let go and pay attention.
- Sustainable systems are cyclical systems.
- Resilience requires adaptation.
- A bug in your salad is just a little bit of protein
- The garden is my sanctuary. My place to putter and reflect and plan. And enjoy visiting with my neighbours & passerby’s. We all need that calm place for peace of mind & body!
- Anyone who gardens knows the value of food in general. Everyone should garden!
- To just keep trying. If it didn’t work this time, maybe next time? Absolutely. Switch a location, plant a bit differently. Ask for advice. Try again. Try until it works. No effort goes unrewarded.
- I am far less likely to be wasteful of my home-grown veggies (or even store bought) considering the time and effort it takes to grow them. ?
- I find my peace working in the garden.
- I’ve learned that a garden is the great leveller. I have met people of all race and creed whilst out in my garden, many who barely speak English and yet we communicate just fine. This profound understanding developed over time and through experience. I always take the time to talk to those who stop because I know it’s more important than my short-term objective of whatever I’m working on. Folks often want to know what I’m growing and also want to share their memories of what they remember growing in the countries of origin.
- Gardening soothes my soul!!
- To me it means having to pick the dirt out from under my nails and scrub the stains off my feet, 1 great thing about gardening!
- Gardening has allowed me to learn so much, make amazing friends and even donate proceeds to charity! Fellow gardeners are so willing to share their knowledge. It is like one big collective community.
Gardening is the teacher that can teach you about your garden and your soul if you allow yourself to be open to its teachings!
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