Planting Hope

I’ve been gardening for most of my years, but last spring was the first time it felt like therapy to me. Freshly into our covid-altered reality, all plans were on hold and the careful balance I had built into my world to support my mental health just… disappeared. Like everyone else, I was left paralyzed, thinking “now what?” 

Usually, I plant a somewhat disorganized ‘garden’, holding high hopes for its fruitfulness, only to find myself in July, wishing for next year’s harvest. Typically, summer plans, camping trips and long days spent with the kids at the beach slowly snip away at the energy dollars I have left for my sprouted babies, and soon I’m dealing with more weeds than wonder. 

But this year was bare. Wide-open. 

So, in the midst of the turmoil that was March-to-May of 2020, I turned to something I could plan…my garden. I quickly mapped out a design and coerced my darling husband to help me expand the vegetable beds, despite his gentle encouragement for me to fine-tune (you know, actually weed) what I already had to work with. 

What came next surprised me. Almost as soon as my fingers reached into the cool soil, the world around me disappeared. My breathing slowed, my heart steadied, and I began to focus. As a creative, I learned for the first time about the beauty of following a step-by-step system, with very few variables. The rhythm became like a salve to my raw edges—dig, sow, cover, repeat. I planted carrots, greens, eggplant, sunflowers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, zinnias, squash, herbs, and hope. Then, when it came time to water the garden, unlike other years, I remembered. I prioritized. I had purpose. 

Gardening, it turns out, is simple. It requires few things—some soil, some sun, some water and seeds. It can work in a small pot or a huge plot. It’s a simple formula from seed to fruit, offering value in all of its corners, dreaming, planting, tending, eating, and if we’re lucky, healing. Happy Garden season.

Jacquelyn Toupin and her partner Tyler live with their family on a farm that’s been in her family for four generations. You can read about their adventures on her blog, Makin Hays at www.raisinghay.comand @raisinghay on Instagram