How To Garden Where You Are
What to do (and not to do) as you get back into the garden
Hi there and welcome to Roots! I'm so glad you're here. If you're enjoying what you're reading so far and haven’t subscribed yet, please click that button:
And if you like this post, please tap that heart button ❤️ and leave a comment as that helps the algorithm push this content out to more like-minded souls who might enjoy it. Thank you for being here!
I was chatting with a friend this weekend. She said, “I’ve been doing really well with my plant-based goals. I’m loving being in the kitchen more and cooking great food. But gardening? It seems so …”
Difficult?
Challenging?
Tedious?
Exciting?
How would you describe it? Gardening … it seems so _____
And I totally get it. Whatever answer you filled in, I’ve probably put those same words there a time or two myself.
Getting back to our roots
For centuries - millennia - we’ve been gathers and hunters. We find food. We gather food. We grow food. We prepare food. We eat food.
Then, over the last century, we’ve been trying to bypass the entire system.
We don’t have time to grow food. So the big corporations (and robots) have found a way to take humans out of the equation.
We don’t have time to prepare food. Make it quick. Take it out of the freezer, out of the box, throw it into the oven, and - voila - insta-dinner.
No connection to what matters most. We lose connection to all that’s around us. To ourselves.
Honestly, I never thought much about that as I moved from my 20s to 30s to 40s. I had so much to do! Why would I ever want to make eating more challenging?
Now, as I’m in my 50s moving into my 60s, I’ve learned:
Kitchen joy evolves just like plant-based eating. Every year, I find myself caring about something else. Food quality. Health benefits. Which ultimately reminds me to pay attention to origin - where food comes from.
So why not grow it?
Four years! This is my 4th year out in the garden!
Yeah! Spring is here. In the Pacific Northwest, you never know what April and May bring. Could be lots of rain. Could be chilly. Could be endless blue skies.
This year, it’s been the best conditions.
So that means … It's time to start planting!
The good thing about this place is even on rainy days, the weather is warm enough to plant and not worry about freezing. So, the end of April found me making my annual garden center tours … and I went a little crazy.
I looked back at photos from my first year in our home. I adore my patio, and started filling it with plants!
Now, four years later, I think I’ve doubled the planters. It’s gorgeous! It’s time for it all to grow!
Let’s head to the vegetable garden …
You rarely grow a garden without thought, throwing a bunch of seeds to the ground.
Instead, it’s a conscious action. Even if it’s on a small scale.
I discovered that four years ago when I planted a garden for the very first time.
I went to the garden store, moved between racks as I pulled seeds of my favorite fruits and veggies. Soon, I had handfuls of packets, with no idea what to do next.
Being enthusiastic about my gardening experience, I bought them all! Why not put them all in and see what grew!
If you’ve ever gardened before, you know the error in my ways.
I started with a row of carrots. The rabbits ate the tops, and what they left, the moles got the rest.
The radishes fared better. Maybe it was the shorter tops and roots. Score a point for me, I got to bring a veggie to my table. The fruits of my labor.
I planted tomatoes next to pumpkins. I had broccoli next to zucchini. It was a hodge-podge way of gardening.
But I did accomplish my goal of growing “something.” It was a win - I brought things home to my table.
Above all, I learned.
My Garden My Life
Four years ago, my idea of gardening came in the form of prepared pots. I loved adding splashes of color around my house. But I also relied on garden centers to craft all of that color. I simply bought the pots and placed them around my home.
The more you do it, the more you learn.
Kind of like plant-based eating. The more you buy, the more you cook, the more you learn.
And I think that’s where I am today, realizing the importance nature plays in every aspect of our lives.
I want to get my hands dirty. And so, I do. No matter the outcome, it’s the experience that’s worth having.
And, oh, how I love getting seed catalogs filled with all kinds of goodness. My idea of fun is heading to the nurseries each weekend, seeing what plants they’ve lined their shelves with.
And from learning …
Last year, I became enamored by the idea of a kitchen garden. Imagine, growing all the veggies you need to bring into your kitchen! Fresh food! Yum!
But again, I live in a townhouse, the perfect size for everything we need. I love it. It’s in the heart of our little town, I can walk almost everywhere, and it suits our lifestyle. Raised beds or lots or kitchen garden space? Not so much.
A kitchen garden is a way to have fresh vegetables and herbs on hand when you’re cooking. You grow what you can use. You plant what you enjoy. This is all about you, your goals, and your needs.
Ideally, it’s located right off the kitchen. Need a veggie? Go out and pick it. Need an herb? Snip a few leaves off, and throw it into your meal.
I believe a kitchen garden is anything you want it to be. Why not blur the lines to create something you’ll use! At least that works in my life.
My patio is just off the kitchen. Open the door, and it becomes our garden eating area. I snip basil, mint, rosemary, or thyme, and add it to our salads. Or maybe an edible flower - I have those too.
But where I do my serious garden is on our plot in our local community garden. My community garden is a bit further than my back patio, but it’s easy to get to, and I often find myself heading there late afternoon, gathering my ingredients, then returning home to cook. This will be the fourth year we’ve experimented with growing, all on a 20’x20’ piece of land.
If you’re new to gardening, I think a kitchen garden is the way to go.
The concept of a kitchen garden makes the whole thing a bit more doable. You simply set a space in your landscape for growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit for everyday use inside the kitchen. It’s smaller - you only need to grow what you’ll actually use. (Okay, and realistically, you might share with friends when you produce an abundance of tomatoes, squash, or even flowers - like I do.)
If you want to learn more about why you should start a garden, I share more here:
Plant What You Like
I have one rule when I garden: Plant what you like. Try. Experiment.
I still buy seeds. I’ve tried starting them … with little luck. And that’s okay.
I also map out my little garden plot, placing the seeds in a spot that seems to make sense. Is there a method to my planning? Sort of. What makes more sense to me is to put in what I’ll have fun growing.
Gardens give you food. And beauty. But they give you so much more.
A way to reconnect with yourself.
A way to connect with the earth.
A chance to see a full growth cycle - from seed to table and back to earth.
A chance to experience nature.
What is plant-based? Remembering where our food comes from. Remembering our place in nature.
Not to be busy, busy, busy. Or expect nourishment from freezer to microwave to table in just a few minutes.
Four years ago, I gave myself a challenge. All I wanted to do was grow one “thingy” in the garden, harvest it, and eat it. I did that tenfold.
It’s a bit more planned these days. But not really. I buy what I love. What inspires me. And I wing it from there.
Sort of like life. Yes, I make plans. But it also “happens.”
And that’s okay.
p.s. Did you like this message? It would mean a lot to me if you’d press the ❤️ below if you liked it, left a comment 💬, or shared it with a friend. I’m trying to grow this publication, and I depend on people like you to do so!
And if you’re new here, Welcome! 💐 I’d love to start sharing my message with you if you’re interested in all things plant-powered, proaging, or finding kitchen joy. Subscribe … and then explore my entire archive! Glad to share with you! 🙋🏼♀️