I started an issue on Reddit discussing are gardens the link that leads us humans to the natural environment? why?
Here are some comments
FROM Nikablah1884
Gardens unlock a part of your brain, like having kids, hunting, defending yourself, and playing an insturment. A weird thing that people can do that our brains are predisposed to. IMHO.
A very human thing, plant and animal husbandry, taking care of things that take care of you in return. They get to reproduce and flourish under your wing, you get to eat and in turn do the same thing. It's just beautiful.
From goldendawnehomestead
For me, I started growing herbs in a container five years ago. I was never a gardener; i used to "kill" succulents
But I started the herbs back in 2017 after I was rear ended by a semi truck. I was having issues with anxiety and focus but working with the herbs in pots and containers helped me. Over the years I expanded the garden to tomatoes, peppers, greens, medicinal flowers,, etc
Now, we live on 19 acres (about 3 open for home, chicken coop, pole barn, gardens, etc). I have a much greater appreciation for food now and cannot wait to get outside and dig in the dirt.
So I have become much closer with nature. I'm looking forward to foraging in the weeks coming. Previous owners told us ( we moved here last October) that the property is loaded with wild asparagus, Morrell mushrooms and berries.
From PepperEqual7018
I think walking or hiking on a nature trail is the easiest way to link to the natural environment. It's accessible to everyone and free. Gardening is also an important link, especially in urban areas. But, gardening really manipulates the natural environment to provide substance, medicine and beauty. I think of it as terraforming. It takes effort, focus, hard work and money. Nature does its own thing. I live in a mountain hollow surrounded by forest and trails. I garden a 1/2 acre and I'm constantly challenged by the natural environment.
From AcceptableEcho0
A link yes, the link no, plenty of people connect to nature and natural ecosystems without gardening or harvesting anything (think backpacking, canoeing, litter clean up, citizen scientist testing the water in local streams, bird watchers, camping) or by harvesting with out gardening (foraging, fishing, hunting).
Gardening requires acsess to land for long enough to grow things, many many humans do not have that particular privlage but maintain a connection to the natural environment, and many many gardeners create environments that are completely unnatural, and may harm the natural environment ( cultivating invassive speices, using gas powered equipment, chemical fertalizers, and pesticides that indiscriminately kill native insects).
There is nothing wrong with gardening, but how an individual gardens varies wildly, and many gardens are neutral or harmful to the natural environment they where created in... the act of gardening requires deliberate choices (native plants, rain barrels, foregoing pesticides or using targeted natural alternatives, no or low-dig, composting) to have a net positive impact on the natural environment. No one can't really claim a connection to nature when they are actively harming it to grow "perfect" roses, or killing wild plants to create a "beautiful " monoculture lawn... so while gardening encourages a connection to climate and seasson, it doesn't guarantee a person becomes intament with the natural environment or benefits there local ecosystem. Gardening and farming both require altering and sometimes destroying natural ecosystems, and gardeners seek to control and manipulate their environment- unless they do so while already understanding and appreciating the ecosystems they are altering gardening can be more about dominating nature than connecting to it.
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