by Kareen Erbe
When I was at a coffee shop this past fall, I ran into a woman who had taken one of my gardening workshops. When I asked her if she had had success this past growing season, she admitted that she had been too busy to have a garden. She was also willing to share the fact 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 in the Gallatin Valley, 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.
I have been there, trust me. Uncertain of my skills and terrified of failing, it was a few years before I felt like I had enough knowledge to start a garden of my own. Couple that doubt with a busy life and a short growing season and I get it…as much as you would like to have a beautiful garden where you pluck succulent tomatoes off the vine, or graze for luscious peas as you move effortlessly through your weed-free garden, when it comes down to it, it’s far easier, more convenient, and way less time-consuming just to buy vegetables at the grocery store.
Yet, like any new interest, if you lock onto something that intrigues or challenges you, it isn’t long before the act of resisting it is more damaging to the ego than the act of just beginning.
That inevitable day came for me several years ago when I tentatively bought some tomato and broccoli seeds at the nursery. Borrowing the fluorescent light fixtures from the garage, I rigged up a seed starting system in the living room of our small two-bedroom rental. I punctured some holes in recycled salsa containers, filled them with seed starting mix and, probably for the tenth time, reviewed my notes, carefully planted those seeds in soil, and sprayed them with water. I diligently cared for them every day, absolutely certain of my imminent failure.
To my surprise, most of the seeds germinated and then, after transferring them to bigger pots, they grew into seedlings like the ones that I would see in the nurseries. Did that success infuse me with confidence so that I fearlessly planted my entire garden and basked in the glory of my yields? Of course not. At every turning point during that first growing season, I was wrought with uncertainty and self-doubt, second-guessing my decisions and my planting scheme. And I would be lying if some of those same feelings don’t come up for me still, when I’m trying new seed varieties or new techniques. The feelings are just more muted by the years of experience that have convinced me of a couple truths:
First, seeds want to sprout and plants want to grow despite our belief that we will perpetually fail, and second, we will fail, and that’s completely normal.
So, for the beginner gardeners out there, musing about whether to start a garden in the spring, here is some advice to get you started. This advice won’t be the nuts and bolts of gardening. For that sort of information, you can take one of my workshops this spring or go to my gardening videos that are available on my blog (see below). These are tips to break through the mental blocks that keep you from beginning in the first place.
- Make time. Intentionally carve out space in your life for gardening. Gardening takes commitment and dedication. I am not going to be the person that tells you that vegetable gardening can be done in 15 minutes/week. Nor am I saying that it is going to take you two hours/day. Instead, I’m going to ask you to shift something in your life to allow yourself the time to garden. If you don’t plan for it, it will likely not happen.
- Don’t be afraid to fail. Every year, I have a series of mini failures. Whether it’s limited germination of carrots, winter squash devoured by voles, or limited fruiting because of lack of fertility, I have finally learned to take these failures in stride, note them for next year, and look forward to trying again.
- 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 (and in our lives) rather than being grateful for what is working.
- Be patient. Allow yourself at least three seasons (or more!) to feel like you know what you are doing. We have a challenging growing climate. If it’s not the short growing season then it’s the hail, or the late frost, or the poor soil, or the cool nighttime temperatures. Giving yourself only one year to ‘figure it all out’ is not realistic. As gardeners, we are limited by the seasons. That is the beauty and the challenge of gardening.
- Just begin, however small. Whether it’s a couple pots with tomatoes or a 4’ x 8’ raised garden bed, just planting some seeds or seedlings 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. However, it will also teach you more intangible lessons like patience, understanding natural cycles, and the benefits of observation. Then, hopefully, over time, it will cut through your fear of failure, and encourage you to try again.
The reality is that what I do every year is not complicated. And even if it isn’t ‘perfect’, it still becomes a beautiful and riotous mess of greenery, attracting beneficial insects, creating habitat and building fertility. 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 about the nuts and bolts of gardening, check out my Organic Gardening Made Easy Workshop in Bozeman on March 2, from 6-9pm or March 5 from 1-4pm or my Edible Backyards Series March 30, April 6 and April 13 from 6:30-8:30pm. I also offer a series of other spring/summer workshops that you can check out at brokengroundpermaculture.com.
