It took me three years of trying to start seeds indoors before I finally got a tray full of vegetables growing nicely. The first few years I ended up trashing most of the pots and buying plants from the store. Even then, my plants haven't been the best producers, but every year my gardens get more beautiful, more productive, more rewarding.
Over the past few years I have learned that gardening isn't as simple as plant a seed and watch it grow. It takes time to become a "gardener," time to learn proper plant placement, pruning techniques, propagation techniques. It takes a litte dedication to keep those little plants well-watered, well-picked, and well-weeded. These skill do not grow over night, and often, it can take several growing seasons before we really become successful gardeners.
Maybe you have always wanted to start a small vegetable garden, but have no clue where to begin. I want to encourage you to just give it a shot this year. Learn as you go, and start small so you do not overwhelm yourself. Your garden may be super successful, or a complete flop. Either way, the lessons you will learn along the way are what is important.
Maybe you are an inexperienced gardener and, like me, you have already experienced a few flops. Don't give up! The little failures you saw last year have taught you important lessons that will make this year's garden more successful.
You see, these first few years of gardening are not really about replacing our store bought produce with home-grown, (although that is what we are secretely hoping for, right?). It's all about the process. Learning about the plants you want to grow, learning about yourself, learning about nature, it takes time.
In our society, we have become so far removed from art of growing our ow food, that we really take our food for granted, but there is something so magical about planting a seed in the ground, and watching it grow from a tiny seedling to a giant plant. Picking the vegetables off it's stems and putting them on your family table. That connection to our food, connection to nature, to God, we are missing that in so much of America.
My homemaking challenge to you this month, is to take your gardening to the next level. Grow something new this year, add mroe gardening space. Start your first small garden. Live in an apartment? Start a container garden, grow one plant in one container, whatever. Just start somewhere, as always, share your experiences with us in the comment section below.
All New Square Foot Gardening
Happy Homemaking and God Bless!
Sarah
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