Inspiration and tips for the beginning gardener

The first garden I ever had was on a small patch of dirt in our postage stamp sized yard in Toronto. I planted tomatoes and basil in the few feet of dirt available. We moved before I was able to enjoy the delicious fruit, but our neighbors ate up all the tomatoes and sent photos of the ripe food. A few years later, I joined a community garden in our neighborhood and had one raised garden bed full of peppers, beets, carrots, kale, and eggplant, and had access to shared beds of greens and tomatoes. Walking down to this spot every day and sharing this space with our neighbors was beautiful. Last summer we participated in another community garden, but it was a till-your-own-spot in field and it was quite the adventure. This year, we’re setting up a few raised garden beds in our own yard.

Growing your own flowers and food is rewarding, good for you health, and not as difficult as it may seem. Here are a few thoughts from my amateur experience on gardening if you’re new to it and aren’t sure where to start.

If you don’t have a lot of space buy some big pots and fill them with a handful of your favorite plants
- Herbs
- Tomato plant
- Pepper plant
- Lettuces
Follow the directions on the seed packet or information found on the sticks inside starter plants
Good soil is key so buy what you can afford – you never know what pesticides or other toxins are in the dirt
Having some flowers around will attract different bugs to help everything grow healthy and strong