Gardening Is One Of The Best Therapies

Recently I saw a quote that said “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”. It’s true because every new day, the plants are emerging, peeking through, and before you know it they are ten inches tall.

With the skyrocketing food costs, even growing some leafy greens will save you paying three or four dollars for a head of lettuce, half of which might go bad before you use it.

Another popular trend is growing micro greens. I just started with the first tray to see how it goes. They are a couple inches tall now. The time from planting to harvest is only about three weeks. But there are a few drawbacks, mainly in the cost of the seeds. Plus for those who use grow lights eighteen hours a day, there is the added cost of electricity. 

I am leaning toward growing micro greens in the winter only, and sticking to lettuce in the warmer months. Apparently lettuce can be grown indoors all winter as well. The micro greens might be a little over rated and trendy, but time will tell. 

Now that it is spring, it is time to plant outdoors. In addition to seeing the garden grow, there is much to learn, especially if you start planting from seed.

The seeds themselves are so different. Some are so tiny you can barely see than, and others like peas and beans are the same size as what you use in cooking.

The garden hacks on YouTube have at least a thousand tips and ideas, from using toilet paper rolls to plant seedlings, to various types of mulches and watering systems.

One of the main concerns for gardeners is to keep cats out of the raised beds, and figuring out ways to deal with other pests.

The cat deterrents involve covering the garden with netting, and using citrus peels, as they hate the smell. They are also sensitive to essential oils, cinnamon bark, and certain plants like lavender and rue.

Many gardeners battle slugs, and create home made slug traps. Some suggest using cayenne pepper around all the plants, but I would not be inclined to do that because it has to be constantly reapplied and could upset the nutrient balance in the soil.

I have also read tips like soaking seeds in epsom salts, and using baking soda for pests. Once again, because these ideas introduce chemical alterations, I am not inclined to try them. In the past I did try baking soda on a plant, and it promptly killed the plant.

It seems that seeds have been growing in dirt since the beginning of time without scarification or epsom salts. Scarification is the tedious process of nicking each individual seed with a knife, in oder to hasten the process of germination.

The best thing for a garden of any sort, is to have good soil and drainage, with a healthy amount of natural fertilizer. Raised beds offer a little more frost protection, and the opportunity for setting up functional community gardens.

There is a continuous learning curve for the novice gardener. For the experienced gardener, they know what works, as well as what is readily available for them to use to enhance the garden, protect the plants, and replenish the soil.

In addition to the fresh produce, the beauty of the flowers, fresh air, the ongoing learning, a bit of exercise, there is the fact a garden attracts pollinators. Therefore is is good for the community at large.

Watching a garden grow teaches us patience. It gives us vitamin D without having to swallow a spoonful of lemon flavoured cod liver oil.

The smell of dirt, and the sound of happy little songbirds cheering you on, brings a sense of peace.

Although I make no claims to have gardening expertise, the most helpful information is in learning about companion planting. This vast array of information helps deter pests, in some cases attracting the pests to the companion plant so they don’t infest the produce.

In other cases the companion plant will repel the pests. Marigolds and nasturtiums are a couple of examples. In addition to finding plants that deter pests, and cats, you soon find out that certain plants will add nitrogen to the soil, and other will rob nitrogen. You learn about the benefits of planting certain things together, and avoiding others. 

You soon find out that if you plant taller plants beside lettuce, they will provide some shade, which in turn prevents it from bolting early in the summer heat. 

Every province in Canada has its growing season, with unique challenges. Every province has multiple microclimates, which will make a difference as to when you can plant, based on the last frost date in the area. 

Some provinces, especially the prairies, are prone to getting hail storms, which not only wipes out large gardens, but entire crops in the fields. 

But just as the quote says that planting a garden it to believe in tomorrow, it is all we can do. We cannot control the weather. 

In spite of all the chance weather conditions, every province has prolific growth, from the wheat fields on the prairies, fantastic tomatoes, and apples in Ontario, orchards in BC’s interior, and potato farms on PEI – just to name a few. 

Gardens, and crops in general require attention, and a certain amount of labour, from seed to harvest. Perhaps we are at a juncture in Canada, where we can appreciate what we can grow. 

Whether we have a small space, or a vast tract of land – we can put it to use, and enjoy being a participant in sowing and reaping. Going back to the basics is forward moving, and rewarding. If we stop to listen, the birds and the bees will tell us so. 

I saw a little known fact, which I have no way of verifying. It showed a picture of a bird that lives in Africa and Asia called the honeyguide bird. Apparently this bird will guide humans to the location of honey, in exchange for wax and larvae. 

But here is the unverified clincher. It said that if you don’t reward the bird, instead of leading you to honey, it will lead you to a venomous snake. Now that’s the kind of revenge humans use. I thought birds were above such things!

For anyone who is in Africa or Asia starving in the wilderness, they ought to follow that little bird, and post what it does on social media.

It beats falling off a cliff trying to take a selfie!