How Does Your Garden Grow?

The Benefits and Joy of Gardening

What makes me happy? Gardening. As I was digging in the dirt recently, I was thinking about why it brings me so much joy. It connects me to the natural world. Working with plants, soil and the elements is grounding and soothing. Gardening is also good for our health! According to the David Suzuki Foundation, gardening reduces stress and boosts immunity and energy.

I dream about my gardens while the snow flies, and as soon as it melts I start planning my green space. Whether its a few potted plants on an apartment balcony or patio or a few larger garden beds around the home, we all need a relaxing outdoor haven to call our own.

Five Simple Steps To Help Your Garden Grow:

Step 1. Begin with soil preparation

Amending the soil with the perfect mix of fertilizer, compost and other organic material is the best foundation to support healthy root growth. Bring a soil sample to your nearest garden center for testing and ask them to recommend the best ingredients to improve your garden’s soil for a show of colour that lasts throughout the seasons.

Step 2. Nurture new plant material

You’re now ready to plant seeds, young flowers and veggies into the nutrient-rich bed that’s been prepared with love. It’s a way to express yourself artistically through colour schemes, plant combinations, and garden layouts. Make sure to give young plants some breathing room. This will encourage roots to grow strong and produce healthy foliage that absorbs energy from the sun.

Step 3. Support plant growth

Maintaining vegetation in the garden is important to ensure that your gardens will last through the seasons. Think of it as cleaning the house, but outside. Pull the weeds, deadhead spent flowers, water when necessary (especially during the hot Summer months) and fertilize every so often to give plants the best opportunity to thrive.

Step 4. Harvest the abundance

The end of the growing season means its time to harvest the fruits of our labour, and what the garden has given back us. Share the love that God brings forth and pick those veggies, dry those flowers and save those seeds. Cut back perennials to about 12 inches from the ground to focus energy into their roots. Harvest time may vary for each of us depending on where we live in the country so research what growing area you belong to.

Step 5. Protect for the future

This step is no less important than the others! Winter is cold, long, and hard on the garden. Make sure that the perennials and shrubs are properly protected with a thick layer of mulch from the elements, and don’t forget about the dirt! Dig in some vegetable waste from the kitchen or some leaves that have fallen from the trees in Fall. They’ll slowly break down and provide the best nutrients the soil needs for fresh renewal when Spring arrives.

"Digging in the dirt relaxes my soul."

Gardening is Soul Food

Digging in the dirt makes me feel good. It relaxes my soul. Nurturing plants season after season and watching them grow makes me smile. A garden gives a home life, colour, and personality. Over the last few years I’ve seen my flowy and messy “English country” garden style slowly transition towards a more tidy and organized look.

Maybe it says something about life - with the “happy chaos” of the younger years transitioning into the more structured and serious adult years. Maybe there’s no meaning at all and it’s just appreciating the simple beauty of change in nature. How does your garden grow?

Inspired by: www.davidsuzuki.org