Grow Write Guild #32: When the Gardener Can’t Garden

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A few weeks ago I wrote about an illness that had me unable to garden through the height of the growing season. This experience in being disconnected from the little piece of earth that nurtures me as I nurture it has me thinking again about what it means to be a gardener when you can’t garden. It’s had me contemplating other crises or events in a gardener’s life that can keep them away from the act of gardening or having their own little space to putter about in, as well as the myriad of ways that might affect each of us as individuals.

The other night, I felt a sudden urge to bring back the Grow Write Guild for another season. I don’t just want to write about gardening, I want to write about what it feels like to be a gardener and what the act has brought to my life. I hope you will join me in diving into this and other questions around the act of gardening. If this is your first time hearing about the Grow Write Guild, you can find out how it works and see the 31 writing prompts that I previously wrote and published. Feel free to start wherever you find inspiration. Share your writing in the comments below or keep it private if you prefer.

Grow Write Guild Prompt #32: Write about a time in your life when you were unable to garden

Use the following questions and strategies to help spark different approaches to this prompt. Feel free to ignore this if you don’t need it.

    Further Notes & Questions:

  • Was it your choice to take a break from gardening or was it foisted on you as the result of a particular circumstance?
  • Did a break from gardening offer any unexpected, positive rewards? (i.e. renewed ambition and excitement, a new space in which to start fresh, time to dream up new ideas or access goals, etc)
  • What did you miss most in your time away from gardening? What did you miss the least?
  • Did your time away from gardening affect how you see the garden’s role in your life?
  • Did your time away from the garden change how you approached the following garden season?
  • Would you consider taking a break from gardening again? For how long?

The Grow Write Guild is a creative writing club for people who love to garden. Everyone is welcome to participate! Click over to the Grow Write Guild FAQ to learn more about it.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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11 thoughts on “Grow Write Guild #32: When the Gardener Can’t Garden”

  1. I had several times when I could not garden. The latest is this year, my tiller would not start along with my lawn mower, they both had watered down gas in them. Both of the machines were taken to a small engine mechanic which never got to them to fix. Finally he closed his shop in October. The tiller is still broken and waiting to go to someone else. This is leaving me time to plan for my garden, my herbs bed and landscaping my yard. I will have one next year either with a shovel or a new tiller.

    • I’m 74 with spinal stenosis, but I certainly do not need a tiller to garden! Use a broadfork or a simple digging fork! You and the soil will soon be in better shape.

  2. I went through a dark period where I struggled daily with depression and complex PTSD. It was all I could do to get up each day, let alone garden, and I had to let things die and know that was OK. It’s OK to fail at something, OK to put healing and feelings of safety before planting and weeding and watering. The garden could wait, but my body could not. It was gutting for me. My worth had always been in what I could accomplish. By not being able to do anything, I learned that I am worth being loved just for me, not for what I look like or do or create, just for me. I don’t ever want to go through a darkness like that again, but I’m deeply grateful for the things I learned in it.

    • Thanks. I have been able to get back to it in bits and pieces and was most happy that I was able to finish out the season and slowly shift my tender plants back indoors before the cold came. Thanks for sharing your story. Your new garden space looks great!

  4. Just wanted to share my recent experience as well. Had to have elective back surgery a month ago, and I deliberately timed it so that at least it would be fall. But I typically garden year round, and only with the support of my family (especially my future-farmer daughter) was I able to at least have the satisfaction of keeping things going. I’ve been overwhelmed with happiness; I get to go out and see my garden still chugging along as I recover.

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