begin with a seed
Welcome to a beginner’s gardening journal!
Here you can follow along with my gardening journey. I will share my mistakes, things I have learned and my tiny wins. There are so many accomplished gardeners in the world, the thing about my journal is that it is for beginners!
I was daunted by the task of starting a vegetable garden for my family and knew next to nothing about growing food. Luckily there are multiple books, podcasts, blogs, and youtube videos out in the world with outstanding information. I stated off only knowing what I didn’t know about gardening, which was NOTHING. The biggest difficulty was beginning something that I had so little experience with. Hopefully this journal can help anyone who is taking on the task of beginning a garden.
What is bringing you to start a garden?
Here are some reasons my family wanted to start a garden:
Money - The cost of produce (in Minnesota) has skyrocketed since the Covid - 19 pandemic. Whether it is inflation or complications from the pandemic, the cost of groceries has risen. Eating organic produce tends to be more expensive so growing your own food is great way to save money. Gardening takes a lot of time and planning, but seeds are SO inexpensive.
Connection to the earth - In the digital age we are so overloaded with screens and cyperspace. Getting outside every day, especially in the summer, puts us back into our bodies. We feel the dirt on our feet, the wind across our face and stare into the distance. (Side note: there has been an epidemic of children getting myopic because of too much screen time and not enough time looking into the distance) I tend to overthink a bit and connecting to the physical world helps with this.
A skill to teach children (yours or someone else’s) - I recently started staying home with my toddler. We stared a garden as a way to have a fun daily activity that also teaches her a life skill. She loves the dirt and gently “petting” the leaves of the various plants. It is also a way for me to do something productive and enjoy the outdoors with my little helper.
Ho
