It’s March and I’m here in winter wonderland, knee high in snow, while my buddies back in the UK are hanging out with the daffodils already. Although the winter is magical here in Wisconsin, I say roll on spring so I can get my hands in the dirt again!

I thought this would be a good moment to share this video/poem about my first ever epic gardening experience to inspire us all to grow a little something this season.

Our first year of gardening sure did exceeded our expectations. In the video below watch our garden unfold and hear a poem I wrote that was inspired by its almighty appearance. And make sure to check out the basic gardening tips below so you too can enjoy growing your own garden.

I had never grown my own garden before. Gabriel, my husband, did grow up around his mum growing food so he had a little knowledge and prior experience up his sleeve.

I on the other hand was pretty much a new-bee.  I unsuccessfully tried growing strawberries on my balcony at some point whilst living in Edinburgh and I had the privilege of having a little raised bed in a community garden were I did grow my first ever and only crop of mixed salad greens, which I was super proud of.

I watched it grow from seed and had  the pleasures of eating this and sharing it with my two pal bunny rabbits. This opportunity didn’t last long though as the young kids in my neighbourhood had ‘fun’ trashing the place!

This little window into gardening did spark the desire of someday growing my own food. Moving to the USA made this possible for us, as having a yard is quite common around here.

Gardening can be awesome fun, surprising, satisfying and healing in so many ways.

Basic Gardening Tips

Here is an outline of the basic steps required to take when  growing a garden filled with yummy foods and herbs:

  1. Sus out which part of your yard gets the most sunshine, south is usually the sunniest
  2. Research what grows in your climate (for those in the US check out a USDA hardiness zone map)
  3. Buy seeds of food and herbs you actually like to eat
  4. Learn how to start seedlings indoors or buy ‘starts’ from a nursery that you can plant straight into the ground
  5. Dig beds, prepare your soil by, removing all the weeds and feeding it lots of compost
  6. Plant seedlings from indoors and new seeds for spring and summer crops
  7. Stay on top of weeding and watering at all times
  8. Some plants may require extra fertilizer (make solar nettle tea for them)
  9. Plant more seeds for more summer and fall crops
  10. Enjoy the fruits of your labour of Love

To make nettle tea: Fill a bucket with water and nettles and leave out in the sun. Be sure to cover it with some sort of bug netting so birds and little animals don’t drown in this! Leave for a few days. Water the plants with this infused tea.

Window sills and porches or balconies are a great place to start. Or consider making some raised beds in your yard. Fresh picked herbs are a wonderful way to jazz up any meal.

Get Involved!

Contact

  shereen@theflowerhoodproject.com 

Facebook Youtube Instagram

©2024 Shereen Baird