Encouragement to Grow a Garden, No Matter the Size of Your Yard

I would like to give some heartfelt words of encouragement to those of you considering growing a garden again, or for the first time.  Growing a garden will feed your family and feed your soul.  I am not a religious person but I feel close to God when I am out in the garden.  I feel like I am an active part of life when I grow my garden, not just someone who pays her way through life.



Panoramic View of Our Garden 2010



I love knowing that my babies won't be eating pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  I love knowing that the food we are putting into our bodies is life giving and whole. 


A Garden is a Teacher

I think growing a garden is good for my children too.  My kids complain about picking green beans in the heat of July, but they really love eating them!  I hope that the gardening process will teach them about self sufficiency and give them a sense of community or team spirit.  



My youngest son running through the garden

  I pray that their involvement in growing our garden will teach them about life.  Nature has so much to teach us about life.   We just have to be willing to listen. 

Gardening in Any Space

It's easy to think that we can't grow a garden unless we have a lot of land.  But I firmly believe we can garden even in the smallest of spaces.  It just takes a little planning and creativity.   Don't be afraid to improvise or try new ways to grow your garden. 

I've seen people use fences and nets to train vining crops such as cucumbers, beans, squash and melons.   I've had much success with the "French Intensive" method.  We've grown enough on a 5th of an acre to feed our entire family plus the children in my daycare for a year.  It is possible to make a huge dent in your grocery budget even in a small space.  Even a sunny porch can be a great place for a garden in pots!

This is the perfect time to decide to grow a garden for your family!  I promise you will gain so much from it!