Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner. It’s the perfect time of the year to dream about creating a garden or enhancing your current garden space.
Some people with little to no garden experience can get a bit overwhelmed. That’s usually where your dream garden stops.
How can you dive into action and create the dream garden sanctuary that brings pleasure and beauty to your yard, balcony, garden, deck, or fence?
First, don’t take on too much. Even if all you do is prepare your garden bed this year, that’s great progress to growing and eating your own delicious and healthy produce.
Let’s start with the fun part: what do you love to eat?
What are our favorite fruits, herbs, and vegetables? Make a list.
Notice and embrace how fun it is to just think about eating what you have on your list.
Here’s My List
Ok, making the list and dreaming was fun and easy, AND THIS IS WHERE I GOT STOPPED.
Can you relate?
Here’s a way to get past it: Find a garden buddy for support.
That’s what I did.
I called my friend Cliff Scholz from Green Hands Reskilled Initiative. Cliff has been an organic gardener for more than 25 years and eats a lot of his own produce. I called him (my garden buddy), and he came over. We did a 30-minute garden walk-around of my yard.
He made suggestions that I never would have considered, based upon how the sun hits our yard and the materials we already had (repurposing is an earth-friendly thing we can do for our planet and our budgets).
Our neighbor had cut down two trees and left some long logs. Presto, they were perfect for our raised garden bed frames. At first, I was skeptical but it turned out perfect. They naturally supported the ambiance of the yard making my yard a sacred and beautiful space.
For you, a no-dig raised garden bed might be the easiest way to get moving. You don’t need logs, simply place cardboard right over your grass. Then, spread a good soil/compost mix directly onto the cardboard and you’re off to a fantastic start.
Below is the start of ours, the cardboard is down with some fill of old bark and leaves. Coming up next are soil, plants, and seed.
I knew if I tried to solve every problem, It was likely I wouldn’t do much. A good thing to keep in mind, this can be a long-term lifestyle change that naturally and organically unfolds.
Even if you plant a tomato and cucumber plant to start, you’ll always be able to build off what you already created.
At this point, I’m focused on building the garden beds. I’ve released the pressure I put on myself of growing everything on my list this year. My list is what I love, and my garden is a process that I want to enjoy.
There are lots of apps to quickly lookup how to grow a particular herb, fruit, or vegetable. If that feels overwhelming, pick 2 for this year. Another option to get your questions answered is to join a Facebook gardening group.
There is no way around that it takes time and effort to create a beautiful garden. Good things take time.
Good Investments Provide Measureable Rewards.
Feeding your family, the food you grew together is a powerful and visceral experience for your children and great for your body and mind.
Improving your mental well-being with a dose of peace from working outside and being connected to nature helps relieve anxiety and stress.
Eating healthy food that you grew the way you wanted to, enhances confidence and joy.
Happy Food Growing!
