I have been involved in gardening, plants and hobby farming for over 10 years in Greece.
I grow mostly in the cottage, and occasionally in pots in the city, namely Athens, Greece.
Before (I’m not ashamed to admit it), I had nothing to do with the land. As I say,“I hadn’t stooped, stone unturned.”
A personal event, was the impetus for me to start getting involved and learning about plants, land crops.
And a magical world, unknown until then, began to open up before me. A world that for millions of years had been there, but I, as a city kid, simply ignored it and passed it by as non-existent.
What I learned by working with plants… about plants
I learned to respect them. Respect them a lot! To see them as wonders of nature. Fighters trying to survive no matter how difficult their environment.
I learned (long story… actually I learn every day), how they work. What their basic organs are and how they use them to survive. The incredible capabilities they have!
I learned that they are “smart.” That they communicate with their environment and other plants with chemical signals. They define their space and protect it from other invaders. That they defend themselves against chemical attacks.
I learned that there can be no higher life without plants. Plants are part of the basic food chain on which vegetarian and carnivorous mammals, insects, reptiles, birds rely for their survival.
I learned that we owe our existence to plants. That planet Earth is the way it is. That they produce the oxygen we breathe by sequestering carbon dioxide. Plants have shaped and are shaping the Earth’s environment as we know it today.
I learned that they are chemical factories that convert minerals, water, air and solar energy into complex mega-molecules.
I became reacquainted with the seasons of the year. Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer. They are no longer just names. They are phases that you see plants go through. They are seasons that you go through with them.
What I’ve learned from working with plants… about people
Loving and caring for plants is a powerful sign of a good person. A person who is in touch with and conscious of their environment and other people.
There are people (sadly quite a few) who not only don’t love plants, but actually hate them and want to exterminate them because they see them as trash, dirt, a problem in the virtual concrete environment they have set up and call “home”.
Living in the city, in the endless concrete and tar roads, makes us problematic people. The unimportant become big and the big become unimportant.
A balanced person is one who is in balance with the natural environment, not the man-made one. City life and disconnection from nature leads to many forms of disorder.
Alienation from the natural rhythms makes man’s life problematic. His relationship with other people full of tensions. Competition and enmity often become the only reasons for communication. Situations that in turn lead to disorders, pain, passions, illnesses.
There are people who want to learn, try to cultivate and get to know plants. There are others who choose easier solutions, the path of the cafeteria and laziness.
What I’ve learned from working with plants… about nutrition and economics
Only if you try growing your own vegetables, herbs, greens, fruits, trees, can you appreciate the effort, the knowledge, the work of those behind the vegetables and fruits you can easily find in the markets. They are called Farmers and Agronomists.
The farmer, with the help of the agronomist, is called upon to face many adversities. Weather, diseases, insects, fungal diseases.
A large percentage of professional production ends up in the landfill because it’s not pretty. It doesn’t meet the standards of the big markets. They are not pleasing to the eye and therefore don’t “sell”.
By growing your own vegetables, you know what you’re eating.
The existence of vegetables, grains, feed, fruits, is almost always taken for granted, and that’s why the spotlight is not turned on it. But these production processes are the core, the basis, of the economic, social, pyramid of activities.
Farmers are not always rewarded for their labour.
What I learned from working with plants… about other things
I learned about fertilizers.
I learned about pesticides, chemical and organic.
I learned about insects, fungi, plant diseases, fungal diseases.
I learned about soil, nutrients, pH.
I learned about the value of water, irrigation, watering, water.
I learned about air, seasons, crop rotation, fallowing.
I learned about the tools available and the techniques.
I learned about landscaping, flowers.
I learned about bees, insects, subterranean fauna.
What I learned by working with plants… about recycling
I learned the value of compost. Of utilizing organic “garbage” to become food for plants again, instead of polluting people and landfills.
Recycling is no longer a trendy term. It is a way of life. It is the way nature works.
What have I ultimately learned by working with plants?
I discovered the world in its natural dimensions!
I think I’ve become a better person.
Tags: AGRONOMIST • CITY • ECONOMY • EXPERIENCES • FARMERS • GARDEN • PEOPLE • PLANTS
