I’ve decided to grow a vegetable garden this year. For several reasons besides just loving veggies. I want to know where my food is coming from. I want to eat food that didn’t travel far to get to me. I want to make sure I’m feeding my baby good food. I want a reason to compost. I want to spend more time outside. I want to turn my backyard into an asset. I want to save money. I want my baby to know what vegetable plants look like and not just what a vegetable looks like on the dinner table. I want to garden as part of my exercise routine. The list goes on and on.
Despite my excitement about this new project, I’m actually feeling very unconfident about it. Below I will list my gardening experience:
1) In 3rd grade-ish I brought home a cucumber plant that I started at school. My mom helped me plant it in the yard. It grew a tiny cucumber. I ate it.
Um, yeah. That’s it.
My next door neighbors when I was growing up grew a great garden of mostly tomatoes, and I tended to the garden a bit for them when they were out of town. My parents attempted to grow tomatoes once or twice, but I don’t remember being involved or if there was even any fruit to their labor. My grandfather grew a beautiful rose garden and yummy tomatoes when I was little, but he lived 2 hours away so I didn’t get to witness what went into that.
So I have all these fears…what if I get started with all this and then get busy with other things? What if I have some success but then animals eat all my produce? What if I “wing it” (something I do a lot) and don’t do the proper research and end up forgetting some critical step? I don’t know why, but I’m nervous about this project. It seems a bit overwhelming to me. Alas, who cares. I’m jumping in. What if I actually grow some great veggies for my family??? Then we’ll let the good times roll. And if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure I will have had some fun along the way!
I got started this weekend, and would love for you to follow along. If you see I’m doing something wrong, let me know in the comments. Otherwise, maybe you’ll learn something with me. Maybe you’ll give it a try as well.
A special thanks to Shannon who gave me a bunch of seeds and lots of tips! Stay tuned tomorrow for “9 Steps for Starting Seeds.”
-Christy
Indie Craft Experience 