After a several decade career as a psychologist in private practice and on a graduate school faculty, I retired. There was the challenge of what to do and, even more importantly, how to feel about it since it would never be another career.
Gardening was something I had done (along with several other activities) on and off around the edges of working, minding my marriage and raising two children. All of a sudden I had more time to live with my plants; and I did just that. Friends asked me what I was doing with my time now that I had stopped working. I had many answers but they all had the same tone to me since they were for the most part activities I had been involved in before retiring fun ways of using small bits of time here and there. But it didnt feel good enough to be filling my time with a mosaic of filler. I realized that I was working with my work mind-set that activities should have a certain sense of importance for me. What do I mean by importance? I wasnt gardening to make money, to build a reputation among my peer group, to satisfy a sense of continuing professional growth. So, what would make gardening important? In a nutshell I realized that I could enjoy working outside and give myself credit for it. I discovered that I was someone who needed to feel that what I did mattered to me and making something matter was my challenge to myself. I had to transform gardening in my own mind from something I did on weekends when the kids were napping and then forgot about for a week, to something I cared about doing on a more regular basis. I had the insight that gardening isnt a hobby for certain types of people, but for particular states of mind. Perhaps most importantly, gardening is a rich enough activity to be satisfying psychologically for almost any mood or state of mind I happened to be in. If I am feeling particularly energetic, turning over a new plot of soil or pruning a tree really fits the bill and is pleasingly exhausting. If I am feeling low, pulling weeds or smelling roses or just walking around the plants can be satisfying and uplifting. If I am having a particular need for organization, printing up plant labels scratches that itch. When I am frustrated with life in general or having a conflict with my spouse, pushing dirt around is a good release. If I am in the mood to solve puzzles, all I have to do is look carefully for a good or bad bug, take my eye loupe and start flipping through my reference books. If I am feeling particularly virtuous, I make a point of using water from my rainwater barrel or making sure to use environmentally sound insecticides. If I feel the need to remind myself that I can read and/or think, there is no lack of written material to sink into and it doesnt matter how much I remember. If I feel the need for social contact, I can join a flower society or go to a garden show. And so on. Part of what is so wonderful about gardening is how malleable it can be to whatever I want or need at the moment. It pays back in both the short and long run with feedback that I am doing the right thing or not. So, as you can probably tell, as I see it gardening can be a wonderfully versatile and satisfying retirement activity for all seasons and mental states. I think that is the clue to a satisfying hobby, but really an essential ingredient of fun and engagement. I feel called on to say something to people who stay away from a living plant in order to save its life, people who feel they have black thumbs. This is my learner-in-waiting challenge the last mental state I want to mention: Buy a succulent for no more than $4 and keep it in the same plastic pot it comes in. Place it on a small saucer. It is probably already damp so put a note on it with the watering schedule one time a week. Give it no other water! A few minutes after watering it, pour out the excess water from the saucer. Place it wherever you have an accessible surface. After a few months, roots will begin growing out of the bottom of the pot and you can decide if you want to go to the next level of black thumb cure. Realize that you have grown a plant for several months and it is still alive. There are few activities more enjoyable than becoming aware of a new skill capability. Enjoy! Lowell Cooperis a master gardener with the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Fairfield. If you have gardening questions, call the Master Gardeners office at 784-1322.
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Founder and chief executive of Edyn, Jason Aramburu.edyn.com
From drought to El Nio storms, home gardeners throughout the U.S. are combating the effects of extreme weather. To help them make choices about what to plant and when, and nurture their gardens without wasting water, Oakland, Calif.-based startup Edyn has attracted $2 million in seed funding. The investment, led by Fenox Venture Capital, comes as venture capital interest in the sector has grown. Venture-capital firms poured $208.75 million into agriculture and forestry businesses in the U.S. last year, up from $183.71 million in 2014, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. Incorporated as Soil IQ Inc., Edyns products include a smart soil sensor, water valve and mobile app that let would-be green thumbs put their sprinkler systems on autopilot and gather data about the condition of their soil. The soil sensor, which can be purchased as a stand-alone item, costs $99 and the water valve costs $69 while the app, available for iOS or Android devices, is free to download and use in conjunction with the hardware. Edyns smart water valve and soil sensor.edyn.com Several big-picture trends are driving demand for Edyns products, said Chief Executive and founder Jason Aramburu. Beyond weather, a lot of growers are shifting towards edible and ornamental home gardening, window boxes or rooftop gardens. They dont want cookie cutter manicured lawns, or they dont live in a place where they can even have a lawn. Millennials appetite for specialty foods has also led to such gardeners wanting to devote time and resources to growing something they can show off or eat and bring to a party, the CEO said. Additional investors in Edyns seed round included Idea Bulb Ventures, Morningside Group, Indicator Ventures and individual angel investors involved in commercial agriculture, the CEO said. The company is competing against myriad other smart soil and irrigation system makers including venture-backed CropX, which targets commercial farmers, and Rachio Inc., as well as Koubachi AG and drone-tech company Parrots Flower Power system. Read VentureWire for the full story including what Fenox Venture Capitals Vivek Ladsariya expects Edynto do with its funding. Write to Lora Kolodny at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @lorakolodny |
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November 2018
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