Gardening and women's rights?

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

There are three things keeping me relatively sane at the moment. One being discussion with like-minded women who are passionate about women's rights, another being (surprisingly, as I am dysphraxic and a bit crap at it) swimming.
The most reliable, though, is being out in my garden. I love being in nature generally. If I had more energy I'd like to go on walks more, but I've been fairly knackered lately.

The cyclical nature of planting, growing, harvesting etc feels very significant to me.
Also, the fact that I can make mistakes and that everything will still basically be ok is so lovely. It's an antidote to anxiety that I feel with loads of other stuff.

I've had such lovely conversations with women about gardening. One woman gave me some of her tiny gooseberries from her allotment and I made chutney with them. Another woman told me that parsley only thrives in a household run by a woman.

Alice Walker talks a lot about gardening. alicewalkersgarden.com/2010/10/in-search-of-our-mothers-garden/
Susan Brownmiller [[http://www.nycitywoman.com/the-feminist-gardener/]]
I love this as well. www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/03/margery_fish_s_we_made_a_garden_is_a_feminist_manifesto_disguised_as_a_gardening.html
"a harmonious, informal, frothing sort of a garden, its borders filled with “green” flowers, its shady corners crammed with hellebores, primroses, epimediums, and, most important of all, her beloved snowdrops."

I keep thinking about how important it is to experience a Space of One's Own. Even if it's a terrarium with a couple of air plants in it (like in my last house, where the garden was not private enough for me to enjoy it).

It's not going to revolutionise gender politics in itself, but is nurturing a connection to nature something that anyone else connects with feminist politics?

What a lovely thread :-) I have a pocket handkerchief of a garden, which I love, but is somewhat frustrating in its scope, but my allotment is my happy place. Allotments are odd spaces: where your personal gardening space is very visible, and I'm constantly intrigued by how people of different ages, sexes and backgrounds make decisions about how to use their space: there are definitely some patterns...

I love growing things too, veges or flowers. Want to expand operations.

As a child i loved digging in the mud and climbing trees. Now i do the same but call it gardening.

I was just thinking of somethings that is mostly female spaces.

This is a fantastic thread! We have a very large garden, which I’ve. It yet tamed from being completely overgrown when we moved in. We planted lots of fruit trees, which are now gloriously unkempt and abundant.
Lots of saplings have sprung up from wild damson/plum stones (dropped by the birds?), in places I don’t want them...but wonderful to see what Nature does so easily in comparison to all the failures I have when trying far too hard to grow!
None of my family like gardening (dd mildly interested in flower colours, ds likes digging, they both are great waterers). Not a great deal of feminist activism either...it’s my time alone, mostly, listening to podcasts and talking to the plants. I’ve always found gardening essentially female, calming and powerful.

I’ve not yet tamed...

What a great thread I love gardening but I’m still a novice.

I’d never connected it to feminism though.

Radishes are one of my bigger successes this year, I had no idea you could make pesto from the leaves though.

I’m really pleased with the increased variety of birds and butterflies I’ve got in the garden this year now I’ve got a good selection of flowers going.

Also being a bit stronger than I'm used to

Inability to deal with full sized bags of compost and irritation at the relatively higher cost of smaller ones was one of the things that spurred me to (slightly) improve my pathetic upper body strength.

I think for me I’ve never thought of gardening as particularly feminist, but I have always found it very female At considerable danger of propagating (!) stereotypes, I find it a very nurturing thing to do. Feeding, watering, looking after, growing, creating life essentially. I think that connects to other women across the years, those finding refuge from spouses, those fabulous old school English gals who had more time for their roses than their husbands, the time invested, the patience.

This is lovely. I’ve recently accidentally got into gardening. Dp suggested we make the large bramble/broom bush that was my garden into a nice garden where we could entertain and spend the evenings watching the bats. I didn’t realise at the time that he meant he’d stand around fiddling with fairy lights whilst I Completely re-landscaped.

I’ve spent the past week hacking back the neighbours ivy that was a good four foot deep on my side, extending the patio to relocate the shed and building raised beds. Every night Ive come in bruised, bleeding and bitten but the sense of accomplishment makes it worth it. I feel less of a gardening fraud each week

This has reminded me of a book I must have read twenty years ago which has always remained with me (I read quite a lot) I haven't read it since, but I think it could be very apt for this thread.
Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot - has anyone else read it??

I know I've got a few by her but not sure if I have that, and I certainly haven't read it.

Superloud what a lovely thread. I only have a small garden, but I love it. My favourite foods to grow were purple sprouting broccoli - it was so sweet and tender, and cauliflower. When I did the cauliflowers the weather was just like it is now, and it was fascinating to watch them grow.
I'd never thought about gardening/feminism, but I guess the gardening calms me so I can continue to read the Feminist boards

Love gardening too. Planting seeds and watching them grow. It's just gardening with the kids but I find it life affirming and it keeps me sane and makes me happy.

I really, really, really tried getting into gardening our garden, but got defeated by slugs, mainly.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we do what we can about the slug invasion and remind ourselves from time to time how grateful we are they do not fly.

lightofasilverymoon slugs are a pain in the arse! They’ve had my peas this year, have had some success with copper tape though round pots of green leafy stuff like spinach and chard

Love the Marge Piercy poem Super. Years since I read anything of hers but you've inspired me to look her up again . And I'm going to plant some radish seeds tomorrow.

Copper worked here too Badger - but - I grew the chard because I'd seen it at an Open garden day. It looks stunning - but tastes shit

note to self -stick chard into compost heap

Copper works a treat, against both slugs and moss, the banes of my garden and walkways.

The allotment is my space, my little piece of heaven. DH and I garden it together but in that we have found harmony as the jobs we each enjoy compliment each other.

The thing I see often (and was discussing with my allotment neighbour) was how often a couple would start. The man would throw himself into it, rushing around trying to get it all done in one weekend.

The women and more experienced allotmenteers of any and all gender tend to be devotees of the gentle art of potter. No racing.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we do what we can about the slug invasion and remind ourselves from time to time how grateful we are they do not fly.

Oh god, the leopard slugs, I remember those feckers (two years in Portland). I know they are elsewhere as well but I have never seen slugs bigger than there.

I have a garden and an allotment. Dh and I share the tasks.

Sometimes I just like to lie down on the warm soil with my eyes closed and feel the connection with the earth.
The others are used to me now have have stopped rushing over to check I am ok.

When I am stressed I have a great need to put my hands in soil - it soothes my soul

Enjoying this thread, especially the book references.
My mum is a carer, elderly and suffering with knee and back problems, but is still able to garden, and it is her only form of exercise now. Her garden keeps her sane, and gives her so much pleasure. Mine is filled with cuttings from hers.

For slugs, may i recommend nematodes. They are wonderful. Not only do they get the number down for 6 weeks they decrease the numbers in the next generation. Use plenty of water and do it when the ground is not too dry.

Blimey! I've actually found something I can relate to on the 'feminist' board :)

DH and I share the gardening equally. It is our sanctuary where we really come together.

I have the ideas, he puts them into action for me.

Except the greenhouse. That is MINE.