vegetable gardening can be beautiful

there has been a surge in interest, since covid, in back yard vegetable gardening and health in general.  i personally LOVE the idea of local, home-grown food and knowing where your food comes from and how it was grown.  i feel like growing your own is a lost art in some respects.  we've become so accustomed to buying food in the grocery store in whatever quantities we want and without regard to eating what's in season locally.  having even a small back yard plot provides endless benefits to our health and welfare.  first and foremost we have the ability to grow food without the use of harmful synthetic chemicals.  we also have the benefit of super fresh and therefore super tasty food.  eating produce the same day it was harvested is an ethereal experience.  we also have the choice to grow heirloom varieties of vegetables which look and taste different that the commercially available options we have at the store.  another perk is the silent and peaceful meditation of the act of placing tiny little seeds in the warm sweet earth and waiting on and nurturing those seeds to become food for our families.  the mental and physical benefit of being outside and caring for those seeds and plants is immeasurable.  soil.  compost. sunlight.  wind.  birds. insects. bees. etc.  it's all part of being closer to the earth and knowing where our food comes from and reaping the benefits of the fuel we put in our bodies.  sometimes the hesitation for starting a garden is the appearance factor.  yes, some gardens can look messy.  but there are plenty of ways to make them beautiful--by growing colorful varieties, by using corten steel or timber or stone raised beds, by planting herbs or flowers nearby.  so that at the end of the day, when you want to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor in your private little space, you can do so with a smile on your face and fresh produce on your dinner plate.  happy gardening.