On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 18:53:06 -0600, "Bob Peterson"
wrote:

(snip)

If one is willing to buy the wheat, why waste time planting a garden? other
then for the enjoyment of the fresh veggies. he is in a business where his
time spent on such a garden is worth 10 to 100 times the value of the
veggies he could grow.

For me, there are other things to factor in. Yes, I do enjoy gardening, but I do
it for other reasons too. There's the practical, hands-on experience which MIGHT
be helpful if I ever have to produce my own food. Also, growing your own
vegetables(etc.) allows you to grow varieties you will NEVER find in the
supermarkets. Commercial farmers grow the crops the stores want to sell. Organic
Gardening magazine did an article years ago about the criteria they use to
select varieties for growing. Good taste was not even in the top 5 criteria. It
IS in MY criteria list, and very near the top.
I've noticed that many gardening books ignore potatoes, since they're so cheap
to buy in the store it just doesn't pay to grow them at home. Just try finding
some of the better varieties for home gardeners and taste them and the
store-bought potatoes will never taste the same for you. I've done that with
tomatoes.






It is easier to fight for our principles than to live up to them.-Alfred Adler