From Kareen Erbe
When I ran into a woman this past fall who had taken one of my gardening workshops, I asked her if she had had success this past growing season. She admitted that she had not only been too busy to have a garden but that she had been a little intimidated when it came to getting started. As someone trying to inspire more people to grow their own food, that conversation reminded me that my task is not only to give people good information about how to garden but to find ways to break through that fear of trying something new.
So, for the beginner gardeners out there, intimidated about starting a garden this spring, I offer the following advice. This won’t be the nuts and bolts of gardening. For that sort of information, you can take one of my workshops or watch my gardening videos (see below). These are tips to break through the mental blocks that keep you from beginning in the first place. 1. Make time. Intentionally carve out space in your life for gardening. Gardening takes commitment and dedication. Shift something in your life to allow yourself the time to garden. If you don’t plan for it, it will likely not happen. 2. Don’t be afraid to fail. Every year, I have a series of mini failures. Whether it’s limited germination of carrots or winter squash devoured by voles, I have finally learned to take these failures in stride, note them for next year, and look forward to trying again.
3. Celebrate your successes. At every step throughout the growing season, recognize what you’ve accomplished. We are so quick to point out what is going wrong in our gardens rather than being grateful for what is working.
4. Be patient. Allow yourself at least three seasons to feel like you know what you are doing. We have a challenging growing climate. Giving yourself only one year to ‘figure it all out’ is not realistic.
5. Just begin, however small. Whether it’s a couple pots with tomatoes or a 4’ x 8’ raised garden bed, just planting some seeds in the ground and seeing them grow will take the mystery out of the process. As your skills grow, so can your garden. Your garden will be your best teacher on so many levels. It will teach you how to grow food and be more self-reliant. It will instill you with more respect and appreciation for your food, for the soil and for the hard work that goes into putting nutritious meals on the table. A garden will challenge you in good and often surprising ways and when you have success, it will be sweet, meaningful, and nourishing.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out the Organic Gardening Made Easy Workshop in Bozeman on Wednesday, March 2nd from 6-9pm or Saturday, March 5th from 1-4pm; or the Edible Backyards Series taking place Wednesdays, March 30th, April 6th, and April 13th from 6:30-8:30pm. I also offer a series of other spring workshops that you can check out at brokengroundperma- culture.com. •
