I was just thinking that, if it is possible, it would be nice if clerics of Chauntea got the same benefits to these skills as druids. Could this be linked to the deities' name somehow during character creation or perhaps attached to one of Chauntea's clerical domains?

Easily, but I'm not convinced.

Well, I will be the first to admit that I am not a Forgotten Realms expert, so my understanding of Chauntea is based only on this sight and others like it, but it seems to fit.

From the Faiths section of EFU:

Portfolio: Agriculture, plants cultivated by humans, farmers, gardeners, summer Worshipers: Peasants and indentured servants, druids, farmers, gardeners

From her description: she now focuses her attentions completely on helping them live off the land.

From her dogma: Growing and reaping are part of the eternal cycle of the most natural part of life.

Let no day pass in which you have not helped a living thing flourish. Nurture, tend, and plant wherever possible. Protect trees and plants, and save their seeds so that what is destroyed can be replaced.

Plant a seed or a small plant at least once a tenday.

It just seems Chauntea would want her priests to be able to plant and harvest responsibly. I would almost think her priests fit the "civilized farming" model better than druids.

Note: I do admit that this is partly selfish as I have had a farming character in mind for quite awhile.

Don't get me wrong, if any cleric would receive bonuses to gardening, it would be a follower of Chauntea. I'm just not convinced I want to give them that bonus. We try to balance stuff, and clerics already get bonuses for consecration (and in general is one of the more powerful classes). Meanwhile, I'm an absolute sucker for rangers and think they need as much help as possible. >.>

If ScottyB or Johannes wants to change how the system works now, to give bonus to certain clerics, I won't object, but I don't think I'll do it myself.

Why only clerics, do you recommends that for? I think all the followers of that faith are farmers/harvesters?

I don't want generic commoners running around with massive modifiers just because they have "Chauntea" in their deity field.

Also, it just dawned on me that we're talking gardening. There is no skill check associated with gardening -- the only thing setting druids and rangers apart from the other classes here is that they will get some information regarding how many "units" remain in a given plant. Herbalism, on the other hand, figures in ranger and druid levels, and I definitely do not want to see clerics get bonuses to herbalism!

Knowing how many units are left would be good enough for Chauntea then. I would just worry about keeping with the dogma of the deity if I didn't know whether I was about to kill the plant I was harvesting.

If DMs aren't worried about followers of Chauntea doing this, then no big deal.

I can't speak for the rest, but I'm not. Clerics of Chauntea are not about not killing (by harvesting) plants. As long as you actually do make sure to plant stuff as well.

GFWD

Note: I do admit that this is partly selfish as I have had a farming character in mind for quite awhile.

I'll second you though, since i've already one trying to collect seeds and blossoms from people. To no availe till now, so i'll keep trying and hope to see your PC soon so we may unite goals!