| "Of the many mysteries in life, gardening holds more secrets than a Mayan temple. Just what is organic; permaculture; bio-dynamic? When should I start my seedlings? How do I keep the soil from drying out? Who cares what pH means? Is there that much difference between " "Many people will tell you that it isn't worth the effort to plant a garden. Vegetables are cheaper to buy in a store. Some of these same people will cheerfully ride around a huge lawn, mowing a single species of grass. If there are deciduous trees in the picture-perfect expanse, their leaves will be raked, gathered, and disposed of at the curb. There might be a chlorinated pool in the back yard surrounded by a concrete patio. Weeds and bugs will be quickly destroyed by any means necessary." "It is a mystery to me how anyone can live in such a sterile environment. Where is the adventure in that? I want to be surprised at every twist and turn of a garden path. I want to smell a new fragrance, pluck a cherry tomato, pinch a mint leaf, experience the significance of life with each step. I would rather see a natural pool with swimming fish, dragonflies on a cattail, or a frog on a Lily pad. I want to see a garden snake sunning itself on a rock, set there for just that purpose." "After decades of digging in sand, clay and rocky ground I discovered the true value of gardening isn't in the food I grow, there is a greater treasure." "Old Luther Brown was a crop farmer in Virginia. We rented a tenant house in the middle of his cantaloupe patch. During the hot summer months we weeded and watered; come fall we helped harvest for a share of the bounty. Luther made growing vegetables look easy. He said, "All it takes is passion, patience and callused hands." It was there that I planted my first tiny garden; that the seed of passion for the earth sprouted. Thank you Luther." "I carried that seed with me to many other places. It grew stronger with every move." "With a pick and shovel I turned over 600 square feet of New Mexican desert. From a winding mountain road I gathered stones for a wall to keep out the jack rabbits. My hands grew more blisters than calluses. I watched my garden dry up and the plants wither away. A neighbor said, "Senor, you have mulch to learn." She taught me that newspapers could be used for more than a Sunday chuckle and swatting flies, autumn
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