Garden Therapy

Morning garden reflections with coffee

My garden is my therapy

It is my children's play ground

My garden is my grocery shop

It is my children's snack bar

My garden is my science experiment

It is my children's exploration

My garden is my venting space

It is my children's change of pace

My garden is my quiet space

It is my children's nap time

My garden is my creativity 

It is my children's discovery center

My garden is my morning reflection

It is my children's sand box

My garden is my exercise

It is my children's make believe

My garden is my get away

It is my children's safe space

Snack time!

You know, you can bury a lot of troubles in the ground. I don't remember who told me this years ago, but it has certainly stood true for me.  Whether it be frustration that I "work out" as I pull weeds or the sense of accomplishment I get as I watch things grow that I planted or started from seed, I always feel mentally lighter. Whatever the reason it seems to sooth my soul. 

Little Ma looking for
sugar snap peas

My garden has brought so much joy; to my children; and to myself. It has given us a reason to go outside on a regular basis where we may have otherwise stayed inside. I like that. Each day my littles look for snap peas  (which they gobble up as soon as they see one - ripe or otherwise) and that makes them excited. Their excitement is catching. Their eyes light up when they find a "baby mato" or "accidentally" find a carrot. They have a miniature grocery cart they push around the "grocery store" aka garden. I can always tell when they have found the ripe blackberries... that purple juice sure is telling and gets everywhere. They giggle as they find them. These moments are precious to me. Just about everything in my garden is edible and so it naturally lends itself to curiosity and lots of sensory exploration.

Baby Toad

We watch the bumble bees working hard going from flower to flower and dragonflies zooming around. We have learned about baby lady bugs (weird looking little creatures) and about ants... lots of ants... I like that they are learning that these are normal things. Not icky, not scary,  just a normal part of outside.  We found a bunch of baby toads the other day after a hard rain the night before and that brought excited hands and squeals of joy. We watch all the different birds; cardinals and hummingbirds are a regular sight.

Excited fingers eager to hold the toads

The other day my littles helped me turn the compost pile and we learned (well they learned) about worms. There were probably 200 worms in that pile (yay!!!) and it was quite the source of fascination to them. There were lots of high pitched squeals and giggles between them.  Oh I can't even tell you how happy they were!  We were all sufficiently dirty after that day. It was lovely. Truly. Nothing makes this momma's heart more full than to see my two little kids dirty from playing outside together.

My garden is love. 

One Pan Meat & Vegetable Skillet

If you have an abundance of zucchini this is a great recipe for you. 

One Pan + 20 minutes = Dinner Done 

I’m still often amazed how just a few simple fresh ingredients can turn into a satisfying and delicious meal in minutes.

This skillet meal takes about 20 minutes, and all of the ingredients are very interchangeable and customizable to your preferences (use what you have on hand, it’ll turn out great!)

Every evening comes the dreaded question from my kids and spouse, “What's for dinner?” Uh... hmmm well lets see. I love meal prepping but I am a realist. I have little kids and I don't always make/have time to do that. This can be a quick solution.  On nights like that I just want to throw everything in a big skillet and call it good. No mess, one pan, and done.

If you want to do this for Meal-Prepping:

Divide your mixture equally into 4 separate air-tight containers. You could add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa to each serving, it makes a great alternative to rice.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsps avocado oil or olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean ground turkey, chicken, or beef (literally about any meat works)
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 x 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes or fresh diced if you prefer 
• 1/2 cup Colby jack or cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• cilantro & limes wedges as garnish

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add in your onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
2. Stir in the ground turkey and cook, mincing the meat with a wooden spoon. Once the meat is nicely golden brown, set cooked meat aside on a plate.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil on medium-high heat. Add the zucchini along with the broccoli florets and cook until tender-crisp, for 4 minutes.
4. Return your cooked ground meat back into the skillet then stir in the tomatoes, seasonings, and half of the shredded cheese. Reduce heat to a medium, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly reduced.
5. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese, and allow it to melt for a few minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
6. Enjoy!

Companion Planting & Why Marigolds are Rock Stars

Marigolds in my flower garden add a pop of bright color

Companion Planting? The first time I heard that term I was like "Huh?... Uh is that where you and your spouse/significant other do gardening together?" Needless to say, I was way off.  That was quite a long time ago. Since then I have strived to learn a fair amount about this. I use it in my garden and it I have found it really does make a difference in 3 major areas. Production, Pest Control and Presentation. 

Marigolds hanging out with Squash

Marigolds are hands down my most favorite companion plant. If you are wanting to keep it simple and get the most bang for your buck, marigolds are the way to go. They have been used as natural pest control in gardens for centuries and are a pest control powerhouse. Here are just some of the benefits they help provide:

First and foremost they attract pollinators. If you want to have heavy production in your vegetable garden this will be a great addition. They bloom for a long time and right into fall. For those who do succession planting this is particularly helpful as is great for attracting pollinators at all stages of your garden.  

Some gardeners swear they can help deter mosquitos. I tend to listen to experienced gardeners. They have lots of years of experience and many times information has been handed down through generations. I am a mosquito magnet so I will take all the help I can get. 

Marigolds hanging with the beans

They help ward off harmful nematodes, bean beetle, cabbage moths, slugs, tomato hornworm, and some other pests that like to munch on tomatoes.   How does this work. Well for some pests they don't like the strong smell. Meaning it can mask your desired crops from pests. For other pests they function as a trap crop. Slugs love marigolds. Often this means that your other crops are saved from loss because your marigolds will draw them away from those crops. Regarding harmful nematodes, marigold roots do the work here. 

They are natural companions to the following: cucumbers, melons, potatoes, lettuce, beans, asparagus, tomatoes, brassicas (ie broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), squash/pumpkins, egg plant and onions. Natural companion can also mean they enhance the growth, flavor or health of these plants.  For many other plants they are considered a neutral companion. This means they nether particularly help or harm. At the very least for those plants they act as a pollinator attractant.

They bring beauty and a pop of color to any garden. I do love the lush green of my kale but that pop of the oranges, yellows and reds always brings a smile to my gardeners heart. Gardens are meant to be enjoyed for many purposes including the visual aesthetics. Marigolds come in many different colors, sizes, varieties and variations so there are lots of options to choose from. I really love the two toned varieties.

My little guy sampling 
some Okra last year and a little
marigold peeking in the
bottom right with

The flowers are edible. Making this a harvestable crop. Want to add a splash of color to your salad? Pop the petals off a bloom and sprinkle them in your salad or you can add them to a vinaigrette. There are lots of ways to use them.  They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants (antioxidants are cancer fighters). 

I also have small children and I want them to enjoy and experience the garden in lots of ways. Gardening can be so much fun for little ones and a great way to teach them skills. This means when I am planting things I want them to be non toxic to my tiny people. 

Just a lovely French Marigold
(my favorite)

They have many medicinal uses as well. Calendula and marigolds are of the same family. Thus marigolds also have many of the same properties.  Some of the things they have been used for are sores, inflammation, some skin conditions and itching. I could write an entire blog on that alone, but for today I will say, if that interests you there is much information available on the internet and in books. Do your own research before using herbal medicine or work with a trusted and trained herbalist.

The seeds are VERY easy to harvest. Let the flowers dry out when they are done blooming and there you go. You have a handful of seeds that can be saved for the next season.

So yes this plant knocks it out of the park when it comes to earning it's keep in the garden. For all of the reasons stated above marigolds get my vote for best companion plant. That said it is not the only plant that is a companion plant. There are lots more. I also use onions mixed in with my brassicas to help reduce pest pressure. (Oh you pesty cabbage moth... we just can't be friends.) 

If you would like to learn more about companion planting here are some great resources:

List of resources / books / sites:

BOOKS:

• Companion Planting: The Beginner's Guide to Companion Gardening - M. Grand 
• Carrots Love Tomatoes - Louise Riotte
• Vegetables Love Flowers - Lisa Mason Ziegler
• Companion Planting for Beginners: Pair Your Plants for a Bountiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden - Brian Lowell

WEBSITES:

• Companion Planting Chart (Interactive)
• Urban Farmer
• Farm Homestead