Getting Started on Your Garden. The Time is Now.

There is a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” The message here is powerful, and can apply to gardening in general, as well- maybe not 20 years ago, but at least a few.

If you haven’t started a garden yet, don’t worry, it’s never too late. But if you’re reading this, then the time is NOW. There are so many types of gardens you could create, such as a woodland garden, a cottage garden, an edible garden, an ecological garden, a permaculture garden, an insectary garden, a rain garden…the list goes on! (I will get into different types in another post.) One of the best parts about designing a garden is that they can be scaled all the way down to a small backyard, urban garden, all the way to a couple of acres!

There are so many benefits to starting and maintaining a garden. They are the reasons why I am so passionate about it, and why I decided to dedicate my life to sharing that passion with my community.

Five benefits to gardening at home:

1. Gardening brings you closer to nature. It’s easy to forget that we wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for nature- for all the trees, the grass, the weeds, the moss, the mushrooms, and the entire biosphere. The earth is here for us to thrive on. When we start gardening in our own backyard, we are given more opportunities to go outside and remember this truth. To give gratitude toward it, in reverence and awe.
2. Growing your own food can teach you’re family how to be more self sufficient, in an ever growing uncertain society. You don’t need a 5 acre farm in order to grow food crops. You can start with just potted plants right in your front or back yard or even your porch. Then maybe you want to consider a raised bed. Then next year you may decide to add more to it. And so on and so forth. Starting small is the way to go. Ease into it and learn as you go. You also don’t need to be a professional in order to grow your own tomatoes, for example. All you need are the right conditions for it to grow well in- and then you let nature do all the work. With a couple of potted tomato plants, some lettuce, and a pot of cucumbers, you could be growing your own salads for the summer! Which can save your family money, and will know where some of your food is grown.
3. Growing fresh fruits and vegetables can help take your health back into your own hands. I know this from experience. I used to be about 85 pounds overweight by the time I was 18 years old. I tried all the different fad diets- from Weight Watchers to Herbalife. Everything was always a temporary fix and I would eventually gain the weight back soon after I stopped. I finally said enough was enough. I needed to change my entire lifestyle and I needed to pay more attention to the ingredients I was actually eating. With enough research, I figured out that the best way to be healthy was to eat fresh, organic, whole foods. A few years later I wanted to take it a step further, to really know where my food was coming from and how it was grown. It became so rewarding and joyful to grow my own produce. I have become the healthiest and happiest version of myself simply because I started caring about the source of my food and what I was truly putting into my body.
4. Gardening is therapeutic. Being outside in nature and nurturing and co-creating with it is a great way to relief stress. It can bring a sense of joy, accomplishment, pride and fulfillment into your life. It can be meditative and relaxing to go outside early in the morning with a hot cup of coffee or tea and just breathe in the fresh air and walk amongst the plant life as the flowers smile at you, both rising with the sun together, getting ready for your day ahead.
5. Gardens bring beauty to your home. Whether you have an ornamental or an edible garden, your plants will bring so much beauty to your home. Flowers are created with such beauty so they can attract all the pollinators by getting their attention with those flashy colors and shapes. They certainly get our attention too!
6. Gardens can become a classroom. I have learned a lot in books, in school and online, but I have learned the most in my garden- not just about growing plants, but about life. I have learned about patience and that each seed can be different in regards to how long it takes for it to grow, flower and fruit. (Much like people- our paths may be in different stages, but we are all on the same journey toward our fullest potential. So be patient with each other.) I have learned about being present in each moment, because you just might miss something. You may miss the hummingbird whiz by, or the bumble bee fast asleep inside a flower, covered in pollen from his bottom to his feet. So much can be missed throughout our days, all found within the details of our conversations, our commutes, our thoughts, our emotions and even our actions.

This is your invitation to get started.

If your haven’t started a garden yet, I invite you today to try it out. Start small and learn as you go. It’s okay if you make mistakes- its part of the process! Trial and error have been my best friends throughout my journey. I still experiment and I still learn more and more every single day I am working or admiring my gardens.

If you are ready to get started, be sure to check out my other post “What you Need And Need to Know to Get Your Garden Started” for all the details on some important things to consider before you hit the ground running, and some practical step-by-step instructions on how to start a garden from scratch.

I wish you many blessings on your gardening endeavors, and I hope you reach out if you have any questions or concerns. And if you would like to book an appointment with me for a free gardening consultation for basic consulting, design work, installation, or maintenance membership.