There are feelings of happiness and nostalgia that overwhelm Gail Sawyer when she thinks about the gardening resurgence that has emerged over the past eight months.
Gail and her garden. Photo: Gail Sawyer
For Sawyer, who started her first garden under the hot Arizona sun in the 1970’s, says that growing your own food was a trendy activity of the times. That year she raised a few pigs, chickens and harvested so much eggplant that she vows to never eat it again.
“Herbs and food were medicine, GMOs and ‘franken-foods’ were unheard of,” she says. “When I read the word ‘natural’ on a label these days, I can’t help but wonder what that really means.”
She’s since branched out from her early eggplant growing days and says gardening has taught her a lot about food, the planet, patience and self-reliance. And though she’s grown food throughout the past few decades, Sawyer was forced to put everything on hold after a car accident in 2017 left her with long-lasting injuries.
“Maude” has watched over Gail’s garden wearing various guises for almost 20 years. Photo: Gail Sawyer
In the spring, she not only felt well enough to return to the dirt, but was especially compelled to do so when she saw the impact the pandemic had on the food system. Amongst the drought and usual pests, crops such as tomatoes, beets, garlic, lettuce, squash and watermelon still flourished in her 30×30 garden. Each year, however, she makes a point of experimenting and trying something new. This time, her novel crop of choice was celery.
In Maine, where she now lives, the ground has started to freeze and the outdoor gardening season has come to a close. But Sawyer says she doesn’t want the weather to stop her. She’s planning on starting a micro greens garden inside her house for the first time. It will be a welcomed addition to her houseplants, she adds, and another way to continue her food growing journey as she feeds herself and her husband throughout the pandemic.
