The Electronic Gardener
I knew it would happen. I saw the writing on the wall. It began with trendy books like ‘The weekend gardener” and ‘The 30-minute gardener’, rapidly degenerating into the ludicrous ‘3-minute gardener’! Now it’s happened; they’ve taken the gardener right out of the garden!
As I sit here feverishly browsing the Internet gardening Web sites, with the new 24 hour gardening TV channel droning on in the background and a Microsoft gardening encyclopedia CD poised to respond to my every whim, I don’t think I will ever set foot in my garden again.
I once though that gardening books, magazines and TV programs, like ‘NFLS. Gardening’ and ‘The gorilla Gardener’, would stimulate people to take to this wonderful hobby. But far from stimulating ‘participation’, gardening its turning into a spectator sport. Without stirring from my Lazy boy recliner I can design a garden, plant it, weed it, harvest it, store and preserve it, and even cook it, by merely flexing one index finger. Bugs are no longer a problem and for relaxation I regularly stroll through some of the World’s greatest gardens. Should I ever need to consult a catalogue, many are there on line, and I can even order supplies with my Visa credit card, should I be so foolish. But why bother to buy wroth all the trouble it will entail to actually grow something when you can get it fresh from your TV or computer and down load it to your brain, or if you so desire, as wallpaper on your computer screen.
I suspect that here in Nfld. We Winter ‘shutins’ are willing subjects for electronic gardening addiction (EGA). Maybe we could apply for a Federal Grant to act as EGA guinea pigs for what could become a National malady. My feeling is that we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg and that virtual reality gardening is just around the corner.
Maybe it’s time to pull the plug…
Ian R. Senciall