#45 | Jennifer Jewell: Unearthing the Significance of Seeds in “What We Sow”
Gardening, in its myriad forms, connects us deeply – to places, cultures, the earth, and often, to each other.
This profound truth was something Jennifer Jewell discovered early in her life. As a young child, she played in the soil beneath a potting table, her world alive with the sounds of conversations and laughter from her mother and friends as they sorted seeds and potted plants. The sense of community her mother's gardening circle fostered was as enriching as the organic vegetables they cultivated. They did more than just nurture their gardens; they celebrated their shared bond with the earth and each other, understanding that gardening was about much more than plants and soil.
As the host of the award-winning NPR radio show and podcast, 'Cultivating Place,' Jennifer now strives to impart this larger understanding of gardening to her listeners. She aims not only to teach the art of gardening but also to reveal its broader impact on a deeper, almost quantum level. Dissecting the common perception of gardening as a consumer-oriented hobby, Jennifer unfolds its true essence: a spiritual connection, a means of asserting control over our personal environments, and a powerful statement in favor of our planet.
“As an interviewer, a writer, and a regular keynote speaker at national gardening conferences and events, my greatest passion is elevating the way we think and talk about the culture of gardening, the empowerment of gardeners, and the possibility inherent in the intersection between places, environments, cultures, individuals, and the gardens that bring them together beautifully – for the better of all the lives on this generous planet.” - Jennifer Jewell
In our enlightening conversation, Jennifer shares insights from her journey, underscoring how gardening intertwines with our lives' most intrinsic aspects. Join us as we explore the multifaceted world of gardening, not just as a pastime but as a profound expression of our relationship with the natural world.
In this episode, we discuss:
• How our growing “impulse to garden” reclaims our relationship with the ancient activity of growing plants.
• Why gardening is a spiritual endeavor, an activist undertaking, and a method of gaining agency over our lives.
• How reducing gardening to a hobby status diminishes the actual truth and respect for the life-sustaining value it holds.
• Correlations between global crises and the human instinct to garden.
• Why we must care about the health, protection and availability of seeds.
• The high value of native plants in providing habitats, improving water quality and air quality, supporting bird migration, pollinators and more.
• Why the health of our planet is reliant on our preserving the remaining wild spaces.
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