Feed Your Mind Body and Spirit With A Garden

in #gardening6 years ago (edited)

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A garden is a magical place don't you think? No matter what's happening in life, with a bit of garden therapy, stress levels quickly drops, shoulder tension releases and a calmness washes over you. Gardening is the cheapest and most rewarding therapy going.

When people visit our homestead, they'll inevitably spend a lot of time out in the garden with me. They'll marvel at the peaceful and relaxing nature of the space. I'll say "You can have this too. Why don't you build a small garden when you get home"? They'll respond with reasons why they can't and we'll leave it at that. Often my friends will arrive home and miss that "garden feeling". I'll often get a call saying "guess what I just did?" Gardening is addictive. Once you get a taste, it's hard to resist wanting more.

Start small

IMG_8371.JPGphoto credit @walkerland

Space, time and skill often deter people from starting. The thing is, you don't really need much of any of these things to get started. You don't need a lot of space, fancy equipment, skills or expertise. All it takes is a few seeds, soil, sunlight, water, a few containers and desire. Plant those seeds and with the garden you too shall grow.

Here's an inspiring example

IMG_7750.JPGphoto credit @walkerland

I have a friend who's wheelchair bound and lives in an apartment. He loves eating chilli. One day he decided to grow his own hot peppers and make his own chilli powders. With no gardening know how and only a small balcony to work with he started growing hot peppers. He's been doing this for 4-5 years now and his pepper operation gets bigger and more elaborate every year. He learned by trying.

MORE reasons for you to start a garden

IMG_8411.JPGPhoto credit @walkerland

Experience New Foods

You'll discover varieties that you've never even heard of. There are hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes alone. Take a peek at Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. The selection will boggle your mind and introduce you to what food is really supposed to be about - diversity.

Save Money

Gardening can save you money so long as you plant things you like to eat. Tomatoes for example are great because they are expensive to buy. There's no point growing things like Swiss chard if no one will eat it. That garden space is better served by growing things you like to eat.

Selecting things that grow well in your climate is also a good idea as is selecting practical items. One year I devoted space for peanut plants. I was so excited about the idea of growing peanuts in the garden. In the end I got a whopping total of FIVE peanuts. It was still kinda cool but not a good use of garden space.

Express Your Creativity

Gardens don't have to be orderly, serious places. You can plant flowers alongside vegetables, create archways with vines and turn your garden into a creative and artistic space.

Happiness & Appreciation

A sun kissed tomato is food bliss that everyone should experience at least once and don't get me started on strawberries (we eat most of them right in the garden). When you grow and taste something for the first time, discover a new bug or a frog hiding in your cucumbers, or succeed at growing something challenging you will get so much joy out of it. Gardening can help you slow down and appreciate the small stuff.

Teach Your Kids

Your kids will learn and appreciate where food comes from! They can also help. Our five year old niece helps us plant seeds, water and harvest food. She loves it.

A personal Gym

Feel the warmth of the sun, dig and work and sweat. Let the garden be your gym.

Helping the Planet

Create a healthy ecosystem. Add a water feature for frogs and other helpful creatures. It can be so much fun to observe the activity in a garden. Plus you'll be helping wild bees!

Sharing & Community

Share your bounty with a neighbour or a senior because somehow food tastes better when you share it. Not only that but often you can swap and trade with one another.

Eat Your Weeds

You'll eventually learn about weeds and you should know that although they are a challenge, they aren't evil like we've been taught. In fact, you can eat a lot of them.

Learn New Skills

Knowledge is power and with a bit of effort you can teach yourself pretty much anything. Observe your plants. They will tell you if they are too hot, too dry, too wet. It's really not that complicated. Sure, bad things happen (like potato bugs) but you learn from that too.

To be a gardener you just need to plant something and nurture it. In return you'll be gifted with a beautiful plant, the purposeful hum of nature and a peaceful heart. Grab some cheerful seed catalogues and just start your garden already! (And send me pictures because I am obsessed with home grown food).

Be Well,

Charlotte



If you enjoyed reading this you might also like:

Eat Your Sunflowers
The Homesteader's Food Rebellion


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Hi - just came across your blog - I like it... and I love gardening :) Upvoted and followed - will see you around! Kate

Thanks Kate! I followed you back and look forward to reading your posts. I had to look up "Ethnobotany" but having read the definition I am student of it myself, at a very basic self taught level. I grew up way up in Canada's North and learned to respect plants and nature from the elders in our region. I am a forager and gatherer and always wanting to know what everything growing around me is. I found chaga in the woods this year and that was pretty exciting. I mapped it on the GPS and left it alone until we need some. Thanks for saying hello! I LOVE your profile picture. :)

I've never seen chaga - very cool! Gosh you must have some great stories from your time in the wilds and connecting with "elders" (would love to hear about who they are and some of their stories). Funny - seems like Steem is going mad crazy these last few weeks and I've hardly been on steemit - my invovlement comes in ebbs and flows! Maybe I can get back into it again! In which case sooner or later I'll seeya around!

Wow! That's awesome, very cool, and good to know. Chaga is a miracle. We live in the same country @walkerkand. I grew up in central Saskatchewan. And, currently live near the Badlands. Said it before, will say it again -- Gardening is life 🌺🌱❤

This is fabulous. I grew up with a huge garden that we all helped tend, though my mom was the do-er. It always felt almost surreal, watching it all come to life and wondering HOW does this happen? Such a joy to participate in gardens, even in the smallest of ways! Thank you, Charlotte

I had to laugh when you said your visitors usually end up in the garden with you. That is so true. Everyone that visit wants to tour the garden. Part of my garden has a lot of tropical fruits growing. My friend likes to call it my Jurassic Park. So I have made paths and put in a few benches. Now when people come they can have their iced herbal tea sitting in the midst of the jungle!

Your garden sounds beautiful. I would love to see photos!

I have posted some in the past, but I will try and post some new ones soon.

This is such loveliness! Kids are good help in the garden, especially at eating it! And weeds are good medicine too, dandilions for tea and plantain for scratches! Connecting to nature and eating good food are important for a lovely life <3 Thanks you for such a gem <3

Thanks @skycare you always say such nice thing! I really loved the landscape photos you posted, really beautiful.

Gardening is Life ❤❤❤

Beautiful beautiful beautiful images of your beloved. Thank-you for sharing this well done post!! 🌱🌺

Thanks @yogajill I appreciate your comment. I followed you so I can read your posts as well. I love your description of yourself especially "warier of all that is good". All the best!

Awesome ❤ i just followed you too after I read about where you've been learning and exploring. I didn't know chaga was in our parts. I thought it was from China and India.

yes, Chaga is very easy to find in Canada! It looks like a big lumpy burned mass growing on the outside462071305.jpg

You'll find it on birch trees!

Wonderful!! Thank-you. I am sure i have already seen it!! Wow. ❤🌱

The Orange Spiked Flowers* Taste is Extraordinary and won't ever B forgotten aGain ;)

*(Tropaeolum majus)

Great article! I was amazed when I was in Barcelona at how many people were growing little balcony gardens. A friend I met there had a balcony of hot peppers and fresh herbs he called his breakfast nook!

oh Barcelona, what beauty. I hope to go there one day! I have some vines growing up our garage. I am training them to cling to the building and hope to cover it someday. I am going for a bit of a European cottage vibe.

This post has received a 7.93 % upvote from @boomerang thanks to: @walkerland

I love the garden! It's a playground for me!
So many things to see, touch, smell and pick!

all things that are so very true! there are even microbes in the soil that are good for you - they relieve stress (it is thought) by activating brain cells to release more serotonin. serotonin is responsible for elevating your mood, plus it also stimulates the production of digestive juices!

but yeah ... gardens are happy places <3

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