Finding Hope in the Garden

I love gardening. I love the patience it requires, the careful detail needed to give each plant what it needs, the problem solving that goes into growing a successful garden, and enjoying the fruit it produces. Pouring effort into a garden isn’t always easy, though, especially when you’re a mom being pulled in many different directions! Aside from the time it takes to maintain, there can be unexpected bumps along the way. The bump I encounter most often in my garden is the onslaught of aphids that are determined to haunt me each year despite my best efforts. My cherry tomatoes have gotten so overripe that they fall off the vine before I can pick them, I’ve accidently let my zucchini grow so large they can’t even fit on a cutting board, and my beans and pumpkins sometimes grow so wildly that they create a jungle-like obstacle course. The weather can be a disaster or I have daily battles with garden pests. One year I had to plant my corn three different times because I couldn’t figure out how to keep the crows away (helpful hint-scarecrows didn’t work!) So why do I do it? Why do I give myself the extra chore when we live in a day and age when we have grocery stores and produce sections?

I garden because it fills me with delight to discover a frog hiding among the leaves on a dewy morning. Watching the busy bees rush from flower to flower while my little ones look on in wonder, seeing the garden spider spin her gorgeous web between the sunflower stocks, and the way we spend close to half of the year watching our pumpkins grow. These simple, lovely things are what make gardening so worthwhile to me. I love it even more when I can share it with my children, even if that means a toddler picked all the green tomatoes or a preschooler pulled up every single carrot when they were only two inches long. I know that much of the zucchini we grow will be shredded and used in the fall and winter for baking zucchini bread and I wonder what will be going on in our lives then. Maybe we will bake up that bread after the first long week of a new school year. I know when I’m making a roast or stew in September, I’ll send the kids to the garden to clip a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary. I think it’s amazing that the pumpkins we watch for many months will end up carved on our porch in October or will be sitting on our table during Thanksgiving dinner. Not only does my garden represent sweet memories both now and yet to come, but it gives me hope. In every seed that is planted, there is hope that it will sprout and turn into something magnificent. Something that will contribute to a meal, to a flower bouquet, or even just give us more appreciation and perspective for what we have and where it comes from.

Due to the fact that there is so much going on in my day to day life in this very hands-on season of motherhood, I’ve had to make some adjustments to my garden over the years. The first thing I keep in mind these days, is how much space do I actually have? It’s easy to go a little crazy and over-plant when things are small. I also feel terribly for the sprouts I don’t have room for and try not to abandon them, which leads to a crowded and not so functional garden. The other big thing I consider, is what flowers do I love and what veggies does my family actually eat a lot of? As tempting as it is to try growing a fun type of squash or a bunch of peppers, I just don’t have the space and time for everything. Oh how I wish I had a giant pumpkin patch full of every variety I adore, but my husband will be the first to tell you that’s what farms are for and we just don’t have room! He is not as thrilled as I am to fill our yard with pumpkin vines, so I’ve had to compromise and choose just a few. By narrowing it down I can keep things simple, which makes gardening for a busy mom much more enjoyable!  If you don’t have a lot of space or experience, the good news is you don’t have to have a formal garden to enjoy gardening. Pots work beautifully for many plants and are a great place to start. Grab some starter plants from your local nursery and a bag of good potting soil and you’re on your way!

Here are some container crops that have worked well for me in the past:

What do you love most about gardening? What is your favorite thing to grow? What garden mishaps have you had? Wishing you a happy and hope-filled spring!

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Read more of Maria’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.