“The rhythm of planting, harvesting, and preserving will go on to help soothe the rough edges of my soul.”

Finding Hope in the Garden

I always look forward to reading Hank Will’s work in MOTHER EARTH NEWS; it is where I start every issue.

In the latest issue, you asked readers to share their experiences (“Home Isolation,” June/July 2020). I’m sharing something I wrote about gardening in a pandemic.

After a few weeks of staying at home, I found that my garden felt much more important this year. I felt the need to write something hopeful about our times, and, for me, where I found hope was in my garden.

In the 1960s, I planted my first garden with my mom when I was 12. We planted in our backyard, and it wasn’t much of a garden. The soil was sandy, and everything that grew was stunted and had yellow leaves.

In my late 20s and early 30s, I gardened with friends. We always started with high hopes and big dreams that were eventually overshadowed by tall weeds. Gradually, I learned about soil, compost, mulch, companion planting, and crop rotation. Gardening can be much more complicated than one might think.

With gardening, you have different but connected variables: soil pH, nitrogen levels, when to plant, whether to direct-sow or plant seedlings, how much water to use — and don’t overwater. And you need to weed, a nonstop activity that starts before you even put a seed in the ground. All these bits and pieces go into making a successful garden. Gardens can also be pretty forgiving. Plants want to grow; things want to live. Even the least attentive gardener can get a handful of radishes and a few