Ever since the birds chirped spring into season, I’ve been craving getting my hands dirty and planting veggies in my parents backyard. My mom resisted, and instead insisted I ask our next door neighbour if I could plant in his backyard, knowing he plants every year and likely had extra space. Low and behold, he did.
WAHOOOO!!!!
This past week I made a trip to a local organic farm to purchase some seedlings - watermelon, tomatoes, summer squash, luffa, pink celery, sweet potato, and more - and that was just the beginning. I’ve since plotted out the garden with my neighbour, made three more bulk purchases from local farms and greenhouses, and have dug out my plot. Things are moving and shaking!
I’m super grateful to be living where I am this summer. Not only am I in a quiet city and get to spend all my time with loving parents, but I also get to plant a full vegetable garden. Life is great!!
Looking back 10 years, this is not what I thought I’d be excited about at 36. What I was doing 10 years ago was living in Vancouver (the first time), still partying sometimes, going to concerts once or twice a week (a perk of my job at the time), and debating moving back to Ontario, which I subsequently did a few months later. I wasn’t exactly happy with where my life was headed, so I started taking the bull by the horns by changing my lifestyle and enhancing my career path. I’m a smart cookie, I didn’ waste it all away ;)
Anyway, this is not a reflection piece, but if it were, I’d be telling you that the same thing is happening now, but in a very different context. Over the past 10 years I’ve changed immensely. I notice life happening around me a lot more now than I ever did before. I’m much more comfortable living my life without worrying what others think of me, and I’m certainly following my own path. Like before, I am feeling a shift happening. I’m really digging in to the things I want to be doing, assessing how I spend my time, and focusing on the things that mean the most to me, including gardening and growing vegetables.
Sure, the stars are aligning, but I’m also taking steps to achieve my goals. They’re simple goals, like learning how to be more self-sustainable, and getting back to nature. And so, here I am doing just that.
It Was Fate
I knew I would be planting something somewhere this summer, so a few weeks ago I started saving egg cartons. I planted some lettuce, sorrel, spinach, and chive seeds and kept a little greenhouse in our sunroom. Every day I watered my little buddies, and after 10 days they started sprouting - phew!
When the weather started warming up, I let them outside for some light rain and/or sunshine before bringing them back in for the night. They’ve been growing for 3 weeks now and they’re doing pretty well! I’ve gotten through experiment #1.
Next, I’ll pull on all the experience I’ve had since starting to garden three years ago to help get these guys in the ground and thriving.
Week One
I’m sitting here tonight working out a template for my vegetable garden. I’m plotting out which veggies, herbs, and flowers will go where, making sure to space them accordingly and plant friendly plants together. It takes some planning, but without it I could set myself up for disaster.
The past two days I carved out a bed that will be lightly tilled, ready for planting. We’ll add more soil, compost, and soil amendment to the beds this weekend before planting next week, waiting for temperatures to maintain warmth overnight first. It’s also time to think about how to protect the plants from neighbourhood critters, like bunnies, coyotes, and squirrels - oh my!
This first week has been a blast and there’s lots to look forward to, including shifting my days around so I can be out in the garden in the early morning and late afternoon to play, watch things grow, and clean things up.
Getting Started
If you’ve never planted anything before in your life, don’t let that stop you. It’ s a heck of a lot easier than you think, and you never fully appreciate the practice until you start. So start!
Step 1: Assess your growing options. Do you have any outdoor space that gets a good amount of sun? If not, do you know someone who does? Find a pot, planter, or place in the earth to plant and claim it.
Step 2: Pick a vegetable or herb you enjoy eating. Keep it simple and low maintenance, then plant that sucker when the time’s right (pun intended if you’re growing tomatoes). Questions to ask include how much space does this plant need, how long does it take to grow fruit, and what type of maintenance is involved in keeping it healthy?
Step 3: Plant it, water it, and watch it grow until you can eat it! It’s just one plant. Treat it like your baby and you’ll give it lots of love and supportive energy to grow into a delicious fruiting plant. Trust me, the process is worth it!
If you plant something, let me know. Comment on this post, shoot me a quick email, or tag me on Instagram with a photo of your project. I’d love to see it!
As the weeks go on, I’ll continue to update you on my progress and what comes of it all. This is only the beginning.
Do you feel it? Let’s get planting!