You may have noticed—there are signs that Spring is here; trees and plants are greening, blossoms are popping out daily, and as I write this, pollen—that cuss-ed and bless-ed yellow breath of spring—is descending unmercifully. As Ray Stevens sang, “…everything is beautiful it it’s own way…” ; it is also true of Spring. Despite any downsides, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Spring brings renewal to the earth and a welcome renewal to human spirits; —and gardening comes to mind.

I am chagrined to confess the error of my attempt at gardening—therefore I share advice of experts instead my own. My disaster started with a half acre plot—planned for a building sometime in the future. I bought a hoe and a rake, and I hired a farmer to prepare the soil and lay out rows for my garden; there I planted peas, okra, butterbeans, squash, corn, eggplants, and beans.

Little green shoots peeking through rich soil thrilled me! Early each morning before going to the office, and every afternoon after work, I took my hoe and chopped weeds. Volunteer Nutgrass started taking hold—faster than I could hoe a row. I joked that before I reached the end of a row, Nutgrass was already popping up at the other end. That was almost true. Time and events colluded, exhausting me; by Fall, I had no garden, a reverse return on investment, and no interest in starting again.

As the promise of Spring draws near many people turn (or return) to gardening . Mayo Health Systems says there are numerous health benefits in gardening—among them—Increased exercise, Improved diet, Time in nature, Reduced stress levels, and Social connection. These five benefits stand tall in the face of health issues currently wreaking havoc in the land. A healthy gardening journey, though enticing, is not easy; sticking with a rigorous exercise program for improving health isn’t easy either. Results from gardening can be rewarding—in many ways.

For neophyte gardeners, Mayo Clinic recommends —Don’t take on more than you can handle (as I did) because that could cause more stress (it did). The larger the garden, the more work it is. It can quickly overwhelm you (ditto) if you don’t have enough resources or time to care for it (yep!). You can always increase the size of your garden in the future. Also, Build a network—find other people who are interested in gardening. Learn from each other’s successes and failures. —Unfortunately, I didn’t follow that advice with my garden, which is why I never dipped deeply into gardening.

Gardening, as Mayo Clinic research shows, provides a robust network of lasting health connections. There were things wrong with my dream on so many levels; the key is what Jesus made clear to his followers; count the costs. He was not speaking only of financial costs. Dreams immersed in serious thought and planning can foil a fantasy’s fatal blow.

©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2025