Gardening with toddlers, Gardening in a small space, Slow Living, Unschooling, — Motherhood Musings

A Garden Story (Our Story)

It was April of this year in the middle of a busy springtime season for our family when I decided we needed to start another garden. This would be the 4th time in 3 years we would try to till, plant and sow and wait too see what would grow. The first time we planted a garden it was my first time being a stay at home mom and our first time living on enough land to start a small garden. I remember a friend came over and tilled, I researched what too plant that time of year, bought the seeds with my then two year old. We waited a few days, raked the soil over dug our furrows for the seeds and watered and waited. We probably planted 3-5 different types of vegetables. Only one grew: radishes. But they grew so fast! And we were so proud to pick them and share them.

That feeling of pride and the satisfaction of tending something day after day and watching it grow stayed with me as we planted the next three. I tried to start a late summer garden when I was pregnant with my second. Bad weather and a difficult pregnancy meant it was not the best timing for a garden. We tilled, planted, and nothing grew. I waited a year and tried again. This time with a toddler and a small baby. Again- a difficult season of life. We tried too have an above ground garden bed instead of tilling and planted our seeds and again nothing grew.

This year I wanted it to be different. I Hoped we could have some kind of success like the first time. I researched our zone/region and what types of seed variety’s too plant in April. A friend tilled the soil, we waited, raked it over, planted all our seeds together one weekday evening. And watched it grow. We planted flowers and vegetables and I didn’t know what a blessing they would be to my family and me in the coming months.

The Blessing of a Garden (The Benefits)

John Muir said “ We all need beauty as well as bread. Places to play in and places to pray in”. There are many practical benefits to having a garden. Mainly that growing your own produce- fruits, or vegetables or even herbs and eating in season will be so much healthier for you and your family and save you money long term. But I want to speak beyond the benefits of health and cost effectiveness (as important as they are- there are many books speaking on these matters). The real benefits of having a garden as a family of four is this - it requires you to consistently do something day after day. You might think all things surrounding adulthood or parenthood require the same and to some extent that’s true. Much of what we do for our jobs, homes, and families is day in and day out. But unlike many of those things- with a garden we can physically see our progress. We can see the fruits of our labor, and the fruits of our consistency. This was the biggest benefit or blessing for our family. Being consistent in something together day after day and being able to physically see the results. Also giving away vegetables to friends and family members, picking flowers from our garden and putting them on our table was equally rewarding.

How To Get Started Gardening

Space. I would say don’t over think this. Your space could be a container pot for growing vegetables, a window sill, a plot of dirt in the background. We all have some type “of space”. And you can always do so much more than you think with whatever space you have. We have been fortunate enough to till a small square in our front yard to have a garden in a traditional outdoor space but get creative!
A plan. I say “plan very loosely”. Do you want to start a garden in spring? Fall? Grow tomatoes in summer? Or perhaps potatoes or onions in winter? Pick the season you want to start a garden in. Look up your zone and region to see what grows best in each season for your location.
Seeds. ( add soil, water, sun and your ready to go). My personal favorite when it comes to seeds is burpee seed’s. Specifically seed tape. Seed tape is pre measured seeds that comes in compostable paper strips that biodegrades in the soil. I have had the most success with these. But you can always experiment to see what works best for you!

Elijah with one of our mammoth sunflowers

Read ( Get inspired) and Resources

There’s nothing to inspire or motivate you like someone else’s book, picture, or gardening story!

One of most favorite books that offers advice and support for gardening and all topics related to simple living ( and so many things that apply to slow motherhood as well -see post here ) is “Down to earth” a guide to simple living by Rhonda Hetzel click link here.

Also, I may have listed this one before but “ We are the gardeners” By Joanna Gaines and her kids is the sweetest little gardening memoir/how too book! See here.