Can I turn a brown thumb green? That’s the question at hand this new Spring season.
I’ve inherited some beautiful raised beds and a compost pile. The beds have many weeds, but also a good sized patch of sweet pineapple, a small section of strawberries that have suddenly appeared, a patch of Okinawan potatoes, two weak-looking cherry tomato plants and a few green onions.
The idea of gardening has felt intimidating to me, having been more of a thinker than a digger all my life. Yet it’s exactly what I need to help me get more in touch with the earth element, which is sorely out of balance in this precious body.
I found the encouragement I needed at Simple Organic. The simple article on Making Your Own Compost gave me the full scoop, including which items can be composted, which can’t, and what’s the correct ratio of greens to browns.
Then the article 5 Gardening Basics for Beginners made it sound simple and prompted me to actually get my hands in the dirt and weed. Getting seeds for new planting is my next step. By the way, Simple Organic is a gorgeous, easy to navigate blog about “Back to nature, Back to basics.” You can find bite-sized advice there on how to live a more natural, sustainable lifestyle in six different topic categories.
Of course, native plants grow splendidly in Hawaii, whereas my usual menu items like cabbage and zucchini are not as viable in my particular area. Strawberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers can also be difficult to grow. People seem to have good success with greens, so I’ll be trying to cultivate bok choy, lettuce, parsley, cilantro and the like.
Wish me luck!
Photo: Ernest von Rosen, www.amgmedia.com
I just stopped by from Yahoo to say thank you for this very informational article on natural gardening. Thank you again!