a garden built by hand: tradition vs. today

When I walk through my backyard, I can't help but think of my mother. Her garden was her pride—a patchwork of tomatoes, sunflowers, and peonies, all planted by hand, season after season. She never trusted store-bought soil or fancy fertilizers. Instead, she relied on compost from our kitchen scraps and rainwater she collected in old barrels. Now, I see my own children and neighbors turning to apps and hydroponic kits, growing lettuce under LED lights in their basements. It makes me wonder: are we losing something precious? My mother believed in the healing power of dirt under your nails and the joy of watching a seedling break through the earth. She’d say, "You can’t taste summer in a hydroponic tomato." But in our North American neighborhoods, community rules and changing climates challenge old ways. Some say my mother’s wild borders look messy, while others admire their natural beauty. There’s a tug-of-war between keeping things tidy for the HOA and letting nature run its course. As summer storms grow fiercer and droughts more common, I ask myself: do we stick to the old ways, or adapt to new ones? Maybe the answer is somewhere in between. But every time I bite into a sun-warmed tomato from my own backyard, I feel her legacy—and the debate—alive and growing. #gardeningmemories #traditionvsinnovation #communityconflict #Gardening