Three Nutritious Things I Recommend You Grow

1) Flax seed: Yes, those tiny little brown seeds that speckle the top of breads can be tossed out into the garden for a stunning display and a nice little harvest. Once you've tossed them out, maybe just rake the surface of the soil a bit, water them in, and then just sit back and watch the show! Their healthy oil content is impressive and so is their inch-wide flower! Additionally, the brilliant blue hue will attract bees to pollinate your other plants and increase yields. At the end of the season, you'll see the seed pods drying out. Just rub them with your fingers and a few seeds will fall out of each pod. Magic!

2) Artichokes: I recommend buying a plant from the nursery. It will save you time and a whole lot of trouble instead of growing them from seed. Artichokes are especially known for helping the body detox and also aid in digestion. Plant artichokes in a sunny location with plenty of space. There are two reasons for this. First, especially if they survive a winter and live into the second season, artichokes will take up a LOT of space. They can grow five feet tall and six feet in diameter. Second, artichokes command some good real estate in the garden because they are SO beautiful and will stun your neighbors with their beauty. You'll harvest one big artichoke from the main stem and a few "baby" artichokes from side stems. Be aware, if you plan on eating them, cut them off the stalk before they start to open up as they are not edible once they've opened into showy, thistle-like flowers!

3) Salad greens: Salad greens are a good way to introduce kids to eating veggies when they usually shun anything green. They do quite well in pots and can grow without full sun if you find your garden limited on space or sun. It doesn't take but a month or two to grow them, so they're what I call "short attention span" plants. Letting kids plant the seeds, water them occasionally, and oversee the harvest is a good way to let kids experience the garden. If you have a child that refuses salad on a normal basis, this is your ticket right here.

Have fun!

Springtime in the (Apartment) Garden

I live in an apartment and sometimes I feel limited because of it. Just to name a few:

1) The landscaping company uses herbicides and pesticides in their maintenance of lifeless dirt and leafless parking lots.

2) I can only have so many pots and hanging baskets.

3) I can't make any lasting changes like, let's say, raised beds or ponds...

It's safe to say I "think big" when it comes to gardening, which is why the garden is kind of exploding out of my home and onto the sidewalks.

I know the neighbors talk. About me. I never knew I was so "weird" until now. This week, their kids saw River devouring fresh-picked kale on the porch and begged for some, too. I already won over the kids and I'm hoping to win over the adults with berries and pumpkin pie as the seasons come.

In our fast-paced, American culture we've pretty much forgotten where our food actually comes from - the earth. (Good question: Where does food come from? Typical response: "the store.")

Children marvel at the possibility of what a tiny seed can become. River and I sprout almost every apple seed we come across and the wrigglers in our worm bin enjoy the rest. Somewhere along the way, adults forget how super-cool this is! (Or maybe I lost my marbles...)

I've found that sometimes you have to think ahead; you have to trust in the seasons. At it's most basic, this principle implies, "if you don't plant, you can't expect a harvest." At it's most complex, we begin to realize how intertwined with our lives our gardens truly are. Take the time to recognize and celebrate the remarkable processes of nature, the cycle of the seasons - plant SOMETHING today.

Feeding River

My son, River, is a fun little five-year-old, curious and kind. And he loves (almost) anything from the garden. Last year he was the only person to taste any tomatoes off our late-producing plant. To my chagrin he snatched them when they were merely orange. He loaded up his toy dump truck with raspberries he plucked from my school’s bushes. He has an eagle eye for chives in any garden and he will not wait for an invitation to eat anything; all he needs to know is that it’s edible. The delights of the garden interest him. I’m thinking it runs in the family.

When I returned to school as a single-mom I did so to better myself and earn a degree. But what I really wanted to know was how to feed my family and how to maintain my health. Now that I have almost graduated, I still don’t think I’m doing it well. I remind myself, this is a journey.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin

This blog is dedicated to the child in all of us that requires nourishment.