Let me start by saying that I am not leading a campaign on hating our grass. On the contrary, I truly appreciate having the opportunity to walk barefoot through the lush, green bed we mow every other week while I sashay my summer-loving self over to the pool ladder. I also can’t help but love the smell of fresh cut grass. Still, in my humble opinion, it is important to learn how to grown food and and how to process it to sustain a quality life. The quality comes in the form of unfettered fruits and vegetables, grown in an organic and indigenous environment. Additionally, we are always the better for it, if we include added life-skills and education into our culture, especially when our young people are watching what we do. They deserve our support! They deserve our attention to matters that can teach them the ways of health and wealth, and this is one way we can help them to establish both.
Now, if you know me, you know this has been a new endeavor in my life since I purchased my home in 2018. I spent so many years trying to keep floors clean, clothes washed, and food on the table for my husband and children that I considered growing food a chore. I was exhausted all the time, but I also obsessed over silly things that didn’t need all of my attention all the time, like dust bunnies. Lol! Sidenote: younger mommies….don’t obsess over the small things like dust bunnies. Go play in the dirt with you babies. Now, my children are grown and I have more time on my hands. One of the most wonderful experiences this hobby has afforded me is the pleasure of teaching my grandson the delicious wonder of planting and growing our own food. I started him out at a very young age, around 3 years old. Being a boy mom. I knew I could hook him by asking him if he wanted to play in the dirt? Every kid (and kids at heart) love playing in the dirt. It worked like a charm! He was so excited to help us add more top soil. I tasked him with making sure the worms were getting their fair share of space, so he was the Worm Guide, making sure they took advantage of all their nutrient-rich property. Over the years, he has helped me a little less and less, as he is getting older and finding new interests. He just turned 9 years old in August of this year. Playstation and football are a bit more important these days, but he always makes it a point to do a tour of the garden to help me gauge what worked and what didn’t for next year’s. It warms my heart that he is interested. It doesn’t matter if he is willing to get elbows deep like he used to, but he is engaged. He pays attention to what we do with it and he has his own input. We did this, and you can too!
My relationship with gardening hasn’t always felt like a good one. I did not seem to have the green thumb it required to keep healthy houseplants. I have managed to have a few flower beds, but house plants seemed complex. The one ineffective habit I had was over-watering. I can’t stress enough how common this issue is. In my research, I have found it is watering. According to the University of Connecticut’s Department of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, improper watering is number one to house plant demise. I can attest to this demise, as I have sent a number of my own house plants to house plant Heaven over the years. Early on, I interpreted this is as a failure and did not bother investing myself into trying any more. I fooled myself into thinking making a mistake was a failure, when in fact giving up was my failure. I didn’t give myself the chance to learn. As an educator, I know that making mistakes is very important for learning, and I robbed myself of it because I was insecure.
I’m not as young as I once was, which means I am wiser these days. I feel it is important to course correct when one learns new information. I have determined that the only way I will learn more about this world and myself in it is to be open to failing at as many new activities as possible. Personally, life becomes boring to me when I am not learning something new, and anyone that knows me knows I get bored easy. Gardening took me by surprise. I had no idea I could love it this much! I had no idea I could appreciate screwing up so much. Lol! I have learned a lifetime of knowledge in this last 6 years. It has been physically demanding which my body appreciates, and incredibly therapeutic for my mental health and nervous system. It’s also been a nice benefit to my diet by including healthier food into my recipes. You have no idea how far you can take your recipes and how much more quality you can put into your food by growing something as simple as the tomato. You can grow anything you want, as long as you are driven enough to try. You have to be okay with trying and failing, so you can learn to succeed. You may find you’re a success on your first try? Who knows? I’m sure it’s possible. Lol!
I am so happy I am okay with failing at this, because there is no way I could have learned what I have learned, otherwise. Make no mistake, I am still learning. There are several aspects of gardening I haven’t delved into yet, because I am not ready for the investment. It’s a baby-steps kind of hobby for me. For example, my first attempt at growing corn did not go so well in 2022. The corn itself was great! My husband and I pulled two ears off, boiled it, and tried them without any butter or anything else. It was the most delicious corn I have ever tried. We both were mystified! We celebrated our harvest, and went about our business for the day. The next morning we woke up to go harvest the rest of the corn, and nature had beaten us to it. I was so disappointed, we both were! However, it certainly confirmed our views because the corn was delicious. I didn’t want to bother competing with nature the next season so we skipped planting corn, but this season we decided to plant it again. Some of the ears came out with chaotic looking kernels, and some were normal, but they ALL were just as delicious as our first attempt.
I have a few fruits and vegetables on my list, and I will likely try something new next season. I am currently giving indoor growing a try. I am hoping to save as many green pepper seeds as I can, and give some pots a try. We also finally added curb appeal to the front yard, and I have already began including food. I planted dill so I won’t run out anymore. Lol! Two out of the four plants are thriving fairly well. I have some garden blueprints I am working on for the front. It’s a lot of fun creating and improving the house. I am happy to bring you all along for the ride, as long as you’re willing to come with me? Just remember, you can grow good food that you will love cooking! You can create healthy and affordable meals for your family, and learn new skills. You can grow food and not grass too! Well, maybe keep some grass…
Pettinelli, Dawn. “Water Houseplants” University of Connecticut. 13 October, 2024. Watering Houseplants.
Leave a Reply