Gardening is such a great way to get connected to your food.
Have you ever experienced the joy of pulling a carrot from the dirt?
Or picking a tomato off the vine?
Nothing beats the excitement of seeing your seeds or seedlings turn into full-grown plants!
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have a green thumb to be a gardener. You only need five essential ingredients and a pot or a plot! What are these ingredients? Seeds or seedlings, soil, water, sunlight, and patience.
Many vegetables do well in containers and can be grown in your house or outside on your porch. For example, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, spinach, kale, lettuce, bok choy, peas, beans, and herbs all do well in containers and can add fresh garden-to-table food!
You can even grow corn in a container!
You don’t need an actual flower pot. Any container that can hold soil but hasn’t been used for harmful chemicals and doesn’t have stuff that can flake off into the soil will work. Some container ideas are egg cartons, cut-off milk jugs, small or large plastic bins, or even reusable grocery bags. You can plant a few seeds in each pot and see which ones sprout. And if nothing pops up, throw in a few more seeds. Sometimes it’s a bad seed, not a bad gardener.
Did you know that some, but not all, flowers are also edible and nutritious?
Nasturtiums and Marigolds are two flowers that can be added to a salad or used as a garnish.
Be sure to check with an edible flower book before attempting to eat flowers, as some flowers are poisonous, and you will feel ill if you eat them!
Remember, you have to give plants time to do their magic! It may take a week, a month, or longer! Gardening is a living meditation, and daily watering and loving care are the keys to results. If you grow inside, put the vegetable containers where your pets can’t knock them over.
You can also grow food outside, even with a tiny spot of land! A small garden fence might be in order if there are roaming animals.
Books like the Farmers Almanac can help you decide what will grow in your area and when to plant it. Your local garden center usually has plant starts for the right season and environment. Read the seed package or the insert on the seedling packs to see when to plant and if you need more sun or less.
One of my favorite things is getting my hands in the soil. But gardening gloves will protect you if getting your hands dirty is not for you.
Always wash your harvest before consuming, just in case!
Plant your garden!
The rewards are great.
Fresh food growing at your own home. What could be better?