Gardening and Farming

    

I grew up on a farm.  Despite that, I am a gardener, and have been most of my life.  Unlike my wife who wrote last week about her first experiences with plants, I was raised on large scale production.  For me, there is something fundamentally different about gardening.
     From my perspective, a farm is a large parcel of land used to make products, an agricultural factory if you will.  The farm is analogous to a factory worker (albeit one who is also the CEO, mangager, and foreman too).  The farmer is interested in volume at an acceptable quality.  But his plants must be heavy producers and resilient ones.  His rate of return is dependent on mass production of his goods.  They are certainly delicious and more than adequate.  Most importantly, they are consistently familiar to the average consumer.
     In contrast the gardener is more akin to cottage level industry.  The gardener is a craftsman and artisan who will not forgo quantity at the expense of quality.     Additionally, like many artists, s/he will experiment with different varieties of numerous common vegetables in an attempt to elevate them in an uncommon culinary experience.
     To be honest, most farmers I know also have their own vegetable gardens.  It is here that their true passion unfolds.  My parents' garden kept our entire family fed for a year at the cost of a few hours work a week.  While the farm produced food for the masses, our garden produced delicacies that would make any NYC chef jealous.
     Gardeners till their plot for the joy seeing their creation.  Any dividends above their investment (necessary or not) are a source of amazement and pride.  They are the artists who work a green canvas and reap a cornucopia.