How do you feel in your food garden?

JodieDownUnder

At the moment I am feeling very in tune with my vegie garden space. I usually get out there early morning, sometimes I listen to the radio, sometimes not, just the birds and my trusty dog by my side. I feel extremely grateful to have this "me" time. I scratch around like an old chook, weed, water, mulch and work out what we might have for dinner and pick the appropriate produce. I got to thinking not everybody has the privilege to do this and that's a shame because it's good for heart and soul, mind and body. How do you feel about your food garden? veg

Marjory Wildcraft

I feel so secure. And in awe. The young seedlings now pushing up are always so magical to me.

shllnzl

I confess to apologizing to the seedlings as I thin them out or harvest them as sprouts. You can see why I have a problem harvesting animals. I am a sensitive hard ass.

chimboodle04

I never see time in the garden as work - you are so right that it is good for the soul :) Time spent in the garden among nature doing tasks is so relaxing to me - time to let my mind wander as I take care of this and that. Best place to be in my opinion :)

Merin Porter

For me, it varies. Sometimes I feel joy, sometimes I feel peace, sometimes I feel frustrated, and sometimes I feel defeated. Right now, there's not a whole lot growing in my garden beyond radishes, chives, and a few dandelions, but we ate some chives and dandelions yesterday and that was a great feeling. I've got starts under a grow light in the house, so they will eventually be going outside. Things get more fun for me once the produce starts growing!!!

JodieDownUnder

@shllnzl I can picture you saying sorry to your seedlings! Yep I've gotten softer as I age. We use to slaughter or own beef and goats on our farm years ago. Can't even go there these days and have gone very plant based in my diet!

maimover

@jodienancarrow I prefer the stillness and quiet in the garden. @Merin Porter definitely can understand frustration. Last year it was the squash bugs that I couldn’t get in front of...

karen

these days, I feel intensely grateful for my garden. I wander out on my second cup of coffee and find one of the cats, then one of the dogs following me around. such a sweet time. I wander around with cup in hand seeing what needs to be done today and as with many of you just marvelling at what works - instead of being upset by what isnt working - and staring at times at something that looks truly beautiful to me. such as one of the giant eggplants. At these times i know i have sort of checked out from the recent stresses, am soaking up vit D from the sun; breathing fresh and scented air and just 'being'. such a good good feeling fo renewal.

Eggplants are quite simply gorgeous plants. they are great bush accents out side the veg garden, with pale purple undersides and light green and fuzzy tops of the leaves, And then the lovely bell shaped lavendar flowers that unfold back, followed by juicy fruit. Here, in southern Ecuador i can get at least two harvests as they are semi-perennial. So at the moment i am watching one that finished producing and has been cut back. Another one is on its second turn. and still another is only about a foot high and already has a bud. It is a fun plant to mix in with flower gardens and other bushes.

Megan Venturella

My garden is right outside my dining room. It makes me SO HAPPY!!!!!! It is thriving and green and fabulous. It's gorgeous out today, and I had to abandon everything I'm supposed to be doing to just get out and get in the dirt.

Debora Salmon

We moved recently and started over with my garden. Everything is in raised beds or containers. Still planting but already have tomatoes on the vine, taters coming up, radishes and a few other things. Planted extra due to the current circumstances. It is planted inside our fenced in backyard. We live in 20 acres but decided the closer the better.

jmachledt

I like to talk to my plants and touch them - there's actually research around the benefits for both parties! :)

JodieDownUnder

@kquinnhobbs do you have a fav eggplant recipe ? I love them, had a reasonably successful crop this summer. So pleased to hear you appreciate your garden. Ecuador sounds tropical.

Linda Bittle

Right now I'm trying to enjoy what is happening in the garden that I have worked on since 2016. I am still trying to get back down to Missouri to help out with my mom, but things are...complicated.

So, I'm enjoying the tulips and hyacinths that I planted last fall, and the lilacs that may well bloom before I get to go. The cherry tree put on its first blooms today, and the pear and the apricot have tiny leaves! The apple is not far behind, and the plum looks like it at least survived the winter. Strawberries are doing well, and the peonies have those pretty red stalks up about 8 inches now.

I am proud of the garden I've started here, and sad because I'm leaving it. But I look forward to starting another soon.

shllnzl

@Mary Linda Bittle I don't know how long you have lived there; prepare for an emotional leavetaking. It was rough for me to leave a place where I had lived for over 30 years.

Linda Bittle

@shllnzl Thank you. Yes, I expect to grieve a little - or a lot. I moved here in May of 2016, and thought this might be my last move. But things didn't go like we expected, and it's time to move on.

It's not as painful as leaving the house we built after my husband decided he had other things to do. But still, it does hurt. And I will make a garden in whatever part of Missouri I wind up in.

vickeym

I feel slightly envious of those of you who have access to your garden right now. I am quite impatiently awaiting my turn to get to work on mine. This will be my first real garden here on this property so everything is starting from scratch. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) I was called back to work 5 days a week as of Monday, so not much time to work on it once things melt here.

OhiohillsLouise

My garden makes me Happy! No $$$ can measure how accomplished I feel. Sometimes people ask me if it is worth having a garden... well let’s figure it out... I get exercise, Vitamin D, fresh air, play in dirt, oh and then there are the healthy vegetables I get to feed my family, yeah it’s worth it.

@kquinnhobbs eggplants are such beautiful plants to grow and eat, I am jealous you get 2 harvests! @jodienancarrow have you tried preserving eggplants in olive oil? Yum.

JodieDownUnder

@OhiohillsLouise no I've not tried preserved eggplant in olive oil. Please tell. I did just cook a very yummy eggplant dish tonight.

Fryed up leek, chilli, ginger and garlic until softened. 2 tblsp tandoori paste, 1 diced up medium eggplant and 6 swiss brown mushrooms. Then added a can coconut cream and cooked until eggplant tender. Used vegie stock to deglaze pan before I added the coconut cream. Gotta say it was delicious !

OhiohillsLouise

@jodienancarrow Here is the quick version: peel eggplant, cut into strips, salt, wait, wring dry. Boil red wine vinegar & water 1:4 or to taste, blanch about 3 minutes, drain throughly. Into sterile jars add garlic clove (oregano, basil good too) loosely pack in the eggplant cover with olive oil. Store in refrigerator or very cool dark place. Wait a week for flavors to blend. Great on salad, pizza, and more. Use leftover flavored oil in cooking or on salad. If this is too brief I can send the long version.

OhiohillsLouise

@jodienancarrow oh and thanks for including your recipe, I’m always looking for something new.

Lisa K

To me the garden is my sanctuary and were I am the most at peace.

burekcrew86

My garden is therapy for me. It’s encouraging to start a plant from seed and watch it grow and ultimately provide food for my family. Simple joys.

Lisa K

This morning I had a sense of accomplishment and self-sufficient when I went out to the garden and picked some lettuce leaves for my sandwich!

herbantherapy

i LOVE being in my garden, but my veggie patch and I are still learning to trust one another! Lol

i am a professional horticulturist and can grow or take successful cuttings from just about anything!

But I have a hard time getting seeds to go and no I do t have all the special equipment and I’m not sure if I care to. Even transplant veggies barely perform for me. This year I vowed to fertilize more often and I have been! But here I am nearly to June and no peas, beans or radish. I put them all in March 17th. Peas have 2 flowers today. Beans are 4” tall and radish only just showing it’s true leaves. I purposely buy short season crops because I don’t have a long growing season. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Plus keeping up with the slugs is outrageous! I transplanted zinnias I grew from seed (for once it worked! I did the milk jug trick 😊) and the next day all but 3 were eaten and completely gone.

dianne.misspooz

I'm a bit unsettled. I invested so much in my garden that I'm anxious that nothing is really growing as I had hoped.

JodieDownUnder

@herbantherapy interesting conundrum, whats your expert tips with cuttings? Mine are a bit hit and miss. I must say I do plant my seeds by the moon and have a pretty good success rate. Also I've changed my attitude a little and instead of being in a rush, I do some relaxing, breathing and go in there with gratitude. Lots of compost also helps.

@dianne.misspooz please don't be anxious, growing your own should not be stressful. Thats why this forum is so helpful for everyone, it gives you hope and knowledge. Think of your soil as loving and nurturing as treat is as such. Keep it simple, don't over think it and have fun.

herbantherapy

@jodienancarrow I take care to do my cuttings either just as the plant is about to push new growth or when dormant depending on the plant. I have good success using sterile sand for soft cuttings and just perlite for hardwood cuttings. You have to watch and make sure they don’t dry out which is easy when the growing medium has no soil!

Momma Mo

I enjoy our gardens, and they relax me when I work with the plants. Weeding makes me think of the spiritual battles in our lives. If we can take care of them when they are small, it is a whole lot easier to deal with, and if you put it off, it can take over and get out of control very quickly!

JodieDownUnder

@MommaMo what a great analogy. That is exactly so, deal with with the problem from the get go, sort it out.

Lisa K

@dianne.misspooz I can bet everyone here has had some failures in the garden, I know I have but for me I like to approach gardening like cooking a fun and creative experiment.

dianne.misspooz

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/862014#Comment_862014

Thank you Lisa! And good news, everything has taken off like gang busters! It's amazing and crazy at the same time lol