The Footprints of the Gardener

[macmex]

About 14 years ago I ran across, what has to be my favorite gardening quote:

"The best fertilizer for a piece of land is the footprints of its owner."
(Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th US President,born 8/27/1908)

This totally resonated with me, and still does. It's obvious that a gardener's frequent, regular visits to the garden do it a world of good: much more good than the same actual time "logged in," but in much larger increments.

Why is this so? I can think of four main reasons for this:

1) In frequent visits to the garden, weeds can be nabbed while small & weak. One stroke of a hoe can accomplish more, while weeds are tiny, than 15 minutes of work, when the same weeds have grown.

2) Problems can be corrected before they become serious, even requiring replanting.

3) The truth is, one may accomplish more in frequent, brief visits than in infrequent marathon sessions.

And, finally, perhaps the greatest reason why frequent, regular visits to the garden work better:

4) Visiting the garden serves as a motivator. One is both refreshed and fired with ideas about what they'd like to do next.

What about you? Can you add another reason why "The best fertilizer for a piece of land is the footprints of its owner?"

[john]

What a great quote, Mac I think you really nailed all the advantages. A gardener/farmer will miss out on so much when the crops aren't visited everyday. It is hard to tell just how dry a crop is, if you are only checking on then in the evenings or once in a great while. In a dry spell the plants will wilt in the heat of the day and be recovered by evening or the next morning. If you don't see the problem right away, You won' get any water to them and the plants will be stunted. There are so, so many other reasons just like this. It probably can be best expressed by the old saying; "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Take care of the problem while it is still small, before it gets too big.

Perhaps another advantage that kind of goes along with motivation is that you are able to enjoy your garden. When a garden is visited frequently( I recommend keeping it near your house) you can walk through it with a cup of coffee in the morning and take pleasure from the work of your hands. When a garden is visited infrequently or is far away it will becomes a chore and it will feel like it is all work and no satisfaction.!

[macmex]

So true!