Grow, Eat, Repeat

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I had some other titles in mind for this post.

  1. Let It Grow
  2. You Grow, Girl

But if you are anything like me, Frozen references make you nauseous now. And the second title was out for obvious reasons.

Since I am a wannabe farmer, I thought I’d tell you what I’ve been up to in the wannabe farmer world. Are you a gardener, too? I have accepted my old age now and enjoy things like gardening, flowers, Riesens candy, and mulching. So?

Confession: I’ve always hated lawn ornaments. I swore I’d never own one. But the other day, I’ll be darned if there wasn’t an adorable rooster made out of a rock and some metal at Earl May! Steve commented on my old ladyness and I said, “Nuh uh.” But then I immediately laid eyes on a hilarious metal buffalo….

I think I told you in a previous post that the kids and I like to grow some baby plants from seed. We start in the winter when things are so bleak and depressing we can’t go on. This gives us something to do and something to look forward to. By late winter/early spring, BAM! Adorable plants to put out in our future garden, all for the whopping price of $1.29. We have so much fun doing this, and we geek out when we first see a tiny green baby popping out of the dirt, the snow still on the ground outside our windows.

tiny plants

This year, the girls wanted to try and grow all our own vegetables for the year. I don’t think this will happen because we eat a lot, but we are trying. If you love to garden or if you are new to the gardening world, here are six reasons why it is awesome to garden and you should do it.

1.  You can EAT your results. What other activity can you work really hard at and then eat your results? Cooking, baking, breakfast, lunch, dinner…. Okay, there are a few. But gardening lets you put something in the ground, care for it, and watch it grow, and then it provides sustenance for you and your family. Have you taken your toddler to the grocery store lately? Walking to the garden is definitely easier.
2.  It’s a family thing. The kids and I plant together, weed together (although that’s mostly me), water together (I turn on the sprinkler near the garden and let them run through it), and harvest together, admiring our bountiful crop. Steve made me a rain barrel. We all have a part.
3.  It makes food taste better. Have you had a homegrown BLT lately? Me neither. I CAN’T WAIT.
4.  It makes me healthier. If I have a counter full of tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, spinach, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, and apples, you can bet I’ll be finding a way to eat them.
5.  Starbucks becomes even more useful. While you are at Starbucks, which is where I always try to be, pick up a bag of free espresso grounds. They are all packaged up and ready for you to spread around your baby plants. How awesome is that along with your iced coffee?

starbucks6.  Plants are entertaining, like art. Here are a few of my favorite ones:

These I call lollipop trees. They are actually lilac trees! They smell fantastic.
These I call lollipop trees. They are actually lilac trees! They smell fantastic.
pink grass
This is a ball of grass with pink flowers, otherwise known as Armeria. It reminds me of Dr. Seuss’ Truffula trees. Adorable.
begonia
Begonia. Tried and true and colored a beautiful coral.

I think the world and all in it was created with a sense of humor. Have you seen the Jesus Lizard run on water? That has nothing to do with gardening, but it definitely makes my point. Have you seen these funny plants?

funny lil plants

Creation is meant to be enjoyed, admired, respected, and explored. Give it a try! Happy farming!

me

2 COMMENTS

  1. Great post! Love that you can do it as a family. Great skills to be teaching your kiddos! Also, you are speaking truths about the grocery store with a toddler! The tiny kid carts…more like dangerous vehicles of destruction!

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