As a gardener, an organic gardener at that, I was interested in the news that Oprah was, “…growing her own food.”
It’s the feature article in the latest issue of her magazine. And it is a true disappointment.
If she’s gardening, I’d like to know how she keeps her manicure perfect, her make up from streaming down her face and her bright yellow (and very expensive) togs clean.
I garden. When I garden, I get dirty. My face ends up streaked with dirt. My fingernails look like I’ve spent the morning digging for coal instead of digging dirt. And my clothes have to come off before I come into the house.
And unless one has an absolute army of people to help keep the rows and plants weed free, the organic gardeners I know, including me, use lots of organic mulch — grass clippings, straw, chopped leaves — to keep the veggies happy and health.
Is her concept laudable? Yes. Hawaiians import far too much food and eat far too many foods that are not good for them.
Could Oprah be an organic gardener and grow her own food? Sure, but should she advertise that she is when about all she does is show up and hold a big butt radish now and again?
I love it when celebrities finally jump into a cause — healthy eating, green living, eco-whatever. But I really wish celebrities would realize that the rest of us — people around the world who are and have been, “…growing their own food” are not going to be fooled by pictures of them mincing along a row with a wheelbarrow of food that someone else planted, tended and quite probably, harvested.
My organic gardening book is about to be released. My organic gardening blog of the same name – Grow So Easy; Organic Gardening for the Rest of Us – is, literally, all about down and dirty gardening.
The blog and book are funny. They’re a” how to” with a whole lot of stories tossed in about how I learned about organic gardening — mostly the hard way. And I go out of my way to demystify organic gardening, making it easy, making it enjoyable and making it something that anyone can do without a lot of money, without a lot of hands on deck.
Anyone can grow their own food and have fun doing it.
In other words, you don’t have to be Oprah to grow your own food. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy organic gardening more if you’re not! Maybe Oprah should visit my back yard and see what a real organic gardener can do with two hands, seeds and dirt.
Oprah’s Maui Farm – Oprah on Growing Her Own Food – Oprah.com.
