“I am an artist, lawyer, wife of a loving husband and mother of 4 children ages 9, 11, 13 and 15. I have been gardening and growing food our family for 6+ years now.
I believe growing and eating your own foods is the epitome of health. It may even be the answer to the many environnental issues that our planet faces presently.
It feels right to grow food. I feel connected to the earth. I feel pure joy when I’m in my garden. It’s a passion I know I’ll have for a very long time.
I grow in containers exclusively which fill our backyard, and the garden is complemented by plenty of ornamental flowers.
I don’t grow same foods together. By spreading them around and intermingling them with other foods, pests are less likely alerted. I also pull out infected plants before pests spread. I move plants around after pests have located a food they like. This throws them off. Other than that, there’s not much else I do to ward off pests.
Because I grow a pot garden, I top off my pots with new potting soil each season. I use organic farming soils only. I also use seaweed based treatments and a rock mix from a local organic farmer as an amendment to the soil. I plan to start composting and collecting rain water.
Presently, I buy tiny seedlings from a local organic farmer. Her seedlings are prepared in a biodiverse manner. I trust her and enjoy supporting her endeavour. I buy 300 to 400 seedlings each planting season from her.
It is sad that we have a short growing season here in Canada. We plant from June 1 to October 1. We may stretch out our season when we retire by adding covers and a green house. I can see myself spending more time gardening down the road when I can make it a full time passion.
I am filled with joy and happiness when I walk through my garden. Of course the harvest is an incredible reward as well.
Grow your own food! Start small. Maybe just an herb garden to start. But do it. It is incredibly rewarding and a life skill!!”
