Traditionally I've always had a black thumb. I murder houseplants, y'all. But lately I'm getting back down to my roots. Plant roots. After years of battling with and feeling scared of nature, I am finally starting to embrace it and the bounty the earth provides for us.
Maybe it's the Waldorf-inspired schooling that my son is learning, but I'm really appreciating the subtle changes to the seasons and "going with the flow". It has really helped me appreciate seasons when it's too cold, too windy, too rainy, and soon, too hot. Knowing that the next season (if we are so lucky to see it) is just around the corner, helps you to maximize your time and enjoy it.
We've started a seasonal garden here at home. Typically we only grew tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers during the summer, and let the little plot of land fall to waste once the season was over. This year, we are committed to growing and planning all year 'round. Food truly tastes better when you've grown it yourself or at least know the grower is organic and local.
This spring we've planted watermelon, beetroot, spinach and lettuce for salad. We also have lovely sugar snap peas that curl and arch as they grow. We're starting tomato seeds again, but instead of our usual cherry tomato, we've got an assortment of Tiny Jims, White Cherry and Black Cherry tomatoes. (I recently saw a recipe for a cherry tomato and Gruyere savory tart and thought it would be even more beautiful made with colorful and flavorful tomatoes!)
We've been composting to much frustration for the last 2 years. (Honestly, we just have a DIY bin in in the backyard with a bunch of sh!t in it.) I often forget it's there and don't turn it on a regular basis so the mulch doesn't have the air flow it needs to breakdown.
What has changed this year? This year we've added worms! That's right, I've got worms! Vermicomposting uses worms (red wigglers to be exact) to eat all your composting material and and leave casting that are great for your plants i.e. black gold.
I'm trying my hardest to reduce the amount of waste I produce, AND I love eating healthy organic food so this seems like a win-win.
Well It's only been a few weeks, but my wormie friends seem pretty happy. Banana peels are the best. Stay tuned to our Facebook page as I plan to go live and introduce you to all 1000 of them personally. And no, it's not as gross as it seems.
In the meantime, i'll just be here, working out, eating right and tending my garden.