Gardening Edition

First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Jesus-loving, animal advocating, meditating yoga teacher with a loving husband, four kids, five dogs, and two cats. I have a beautiful life but I constantly battle with overwhelm and occasional bouts of anxiety. I always want to do more to help my family and friends, our beautiful Earth, and animals. I realize this is a big task at hand so I decided to blog about my journey as I try to make my mark on this planet while minimizing my carbon footprint. This journey is as much about helping the planet and others as it is a way to channel some of my overwhelm and anxiety.

I am going to start by giving an example of things I am already doing and a new method I am trying to incorporate into my life. My desire is to help some of you to be able to find new ways to become greener and live more sustainably. Gardening is definitely the best way to start!

Last year my husband and I built a raised garden bed. We got lumber and supplies from Lowe’s and we felt so accomplished after it was complete. YouTube helped us figure it out and it wasn’t exactly hard but not as easy as the video made it seem! This year, we added another raised bed which we bought off Amazon and it was simple to put together and cost the same. Either process works! Find which one suits your lifestyle more. Raised garden beds are an easy way to start growing your own fruits, veggies, and herbs. You can also use large containers to grow them if you don’t have the space for beds. Another awesome trick to help with small space is to use grow bags which are great for potatoes and onions. I do all of the above and it helps to optimize my space. I have a huge space but not very much with adequate sun.

Here are a few benefits to growing your own food: 1. It helps you to eat healthier with less processing and chemicals. Plus they taste better and fresher! 2. Gardening helps you get more sun (Vitamin D) which helps not only your bones but your mental health. 3. It saves you money! Who doesn’t love to save money? We all know how costly organic fruits and vegetables are! 4. It can increase mindfulness as you are fully present in the moment and helps you connect with nature.

I like gardening–it’s a place I find myself when I need to lose myself.

Alice Sebold

I’ve given some benefits, so now how to start? Next pick your location that you want to start your garden. Pick a spot that will have at least six hours of sunlight. This was the trickiest for me because I have a ton of trees thus plenty of shade. Most fruits/veggies/herbs are sun-loving but you can find a few that do not require as much sun if this is an issue. Some examples are raspberries, various types of lettuce, potatoes, and mint.

We’ve discussed options of raised beds, containers, and grow bags. If you have space, you can always plant into the ground. I prefer raised beds because it gives you better drainage, decreases critters digging tunnels under your garden , and you don’t have to deal with many if any weeds. The biggest con of raised beds is the cost of materials and soil. They also require more frequent watering.

The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.

Michael Pollan

Once you decide which methods you are going to use to garden, you need to figure out what you want to plant. Find what zone your area is by a simple google search to see what grows best and when to start planting. This will help set you up to be more successful. (I truly wanted to plant eucalyptus but it will definitely not survive here in TN!) I live in zone 7b/8a and decided to plant four different plants that my family regularly eats. I planted blueberries and strawberries on one side of my bed (they both like pine needles as mulch and more acidic soil). I planted cucumbers, okra, and herbs on the other side. Let me say that this was a mistake! (The cucumbers at least.) Cucumbers take over. They are a very aggressive plant so they need their own space. I would venture to say that they need their very own bed. However, cucumbers are fairly easy to grow and we eat them a lot! Herbs are great to plant because you can harvest at different times and tie them up and dry them just as you would flowers and use them in recipes. My favorite herbs are dill, rosemary, mint, and basil. Mint is another plant that spreads fast and takes over so I would recommend planting them in containers. Herbs are not only easy to grow and use but they deter bugs and critters! I cannot give any advice on okra as the cucumbers took over and only harvested two last year but I am hopeful for this harvest.

After you have your bed or container (make sure there are several drainage holes for water and worms to get in) I recommend a layer of wet cardboard followed by a layer of sticks. This allows you to use less soil, deters weeds, and worms love it. Next if you have compost, add a layer before adding soil. I will talk about compost in another post. Composting is AMAZING! Below is the soil I use and it already has aged compost in it if you haven’t started composting.

Now that you have your location, know what you want to plant, when to start, and soil ; it’s time to go get them and plant. You can choose to plant by seed or buy a small plant. There are pros/cons to both. The pros of planting seeds is that they are inexpensive, you can get a bigger variety, and the pride you get from watching it grow from seed to plant. The cons are that it takes longer, they needed to be planted at the right time, and many need to be germinated indoors before planting in your garden. Obviously the pros of planting a small plant has a quicker growth period, they are stronger with established roots, and ready to plant when you buy them. The cons are less variety and more expensive. I have done both and I think herbs are the best choice if you want to try to start from seed.

Gardening is a learning curve and it can be challenging but I love it and it is a great way to connect with nature, become greener, and integrate a healthier habit into your life. This year my garden had a few set backs as it was cloudier and cooler than last but it has really started to bloom. I have had some surprises from rogue tomato plants popping up in my herb garden that are actually putting out tomatoes. (I only have tomato plants in containers.) My guess is they were seeds from my compost. Needless to say, I always know that even if I don’t grow much one year, I have still spent time in nature and soaked up some sun!

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.

Audrey Hepburn