by Alex Samson

Created on: February 21, 2009   Last Updated: March 01, 2009

I was never a keen gardener. Not until my baby girl was born.

I still remember the fear in those early days. Fear brought about by a myriad magazine articles, news stories, radio broadcasts, and web blogs. 'Don't feed her this', 'make sure she gets these nutrients', 'fresh not frozen'. Being a relatively parent is overwhelming enough as it is and I don't care what anybody says, even when your firstborn starts eating solids, you are still new at the whole parenting gig without the added nightmare of scare stories and guilt trip journalism.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to have recently moved to a cottage in the Welsh hills shortly before we were hit with the pregnancy thunderbolt, and we were stood gazing out across our back garden pondering life, the universe, and everything in between when it occurred to us we had the answer to our daughter's nutrition needs in our own as yet weed-infested soil.

Hard work. It was very hard work, but at the same time it was rewarding work. I've never been one for losing my weekend to back-breaking manual labor, but I really got into the whole rotorvating thing, and planting seeds today for a rich yield tomorrow was one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. But I'm not writing this to tell you about the buzz of tilling the earth and watering sprouts. There was an unforeseen bonus.

The vegetable garden became a regular past time, and as the years went by our daughter began to take more and more interest in what we were doing until there came a point where she was not only devouring the produce (this was benefit number 1), she was also learning more than I could ever have hoped (benefit number 2). By three she knew the difference between the leaves on a carrot plant and the leaves on a parsnip plant. She's nearly five now and she's probably got greener fingers than either myself or my wife.

Growing vegetables has become about more than simply growing healthy, nutritious food. It's family time, it's fresh air, exercise, learning, and good economics. As a family we have learned to respect the earth while at the same time getting a valuable return from it. So in a way I suppose our daughter has been taught an important lesson about actions and consequences. What you put in, you get back. In other words, the garden has taught all of us that nothing in life is free. She is only 5, but already our daughter knows the value of hard work.

Our winter crop has all but finished. Soon we will begin preparation for Spring planting. Right now the thought of a fresh batch of weeds and new soil to turn is enough to make me think twice about swapping my nice comfy desk for wellies and a fork, but the relish and excitement with which my daughter will greet that first fresh, breezy spring morning will be enough to ignite my passion and get my fingers into the soil.

Learn more about this author, Alex Samson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.