Everyone Starts Somewhere

I have an overwhelming urge to grow things. Its a drive that is so deeply rooted in me, that I have no choice but to stop at every seed rack, home and garden aisle, and greenhouse I see. I find creating with plants and foods fascinating and satisfying, and I love sharing info with all my friends. To the best of my memory, this is how my love of all things growing originated:

Most awesome Grampa ever teaching baby Caroline about landscaping.

I remember a garden. A veggie garden. With lots of peas and tomatoes. That’s where I started my life of growing. Gramma and Grampa’s place was flanked by two huge strip of earth exploding with food! I plopped my diapered butt down in the dirt and started exploring all the flavors around me. Juicy red cherry tomatoes, sweet and starchy peas, and crunchy green beans. Gramma yelled at me to stop eating beans because she needed them for dinner, but she helped me get some carrots washed and peeled so I could try those too.

My parents themselves knew nothing about gardening, and had little interest, but they saw my fascination and decided to build a little raised bed plot just for me in the back yard. I was about six, and 6 year olds are flighty farmers. I never rotated my crops, I never used compost, I watered whenever I remembered to, and I never weeded. It didn’t matter! I always had ended up with cherry tomatoes! I always got to eat peas and cucumbers! I experiment and played with whatever I wanted and I was thrilled. Sometimes I forgot things too long and they didn’t taste great. Sometimes I killed stuff. Nothing really mattered as long as I got tomatoes. It was a small, unruly plot of tangled radishes gone to seed and wild sprawling arms of green beans.

You can start gardening at any age! No really! You don’t have to be an expert to start! Don’t worry about being perfect, and don’t worry about killing plants. Just try it out. Scratch out a piece of dirt for yourself and play around.

If you’re already an accomplished gardener, KUDOS! LETS BE FRENZ! Do you have kids? No? Me either, unless you count fur babies. High five! When did you start? What gotcha goin on? Connect with us on the facebooks and tell me your favorite thing to grow.

Yes you do have kids? That is rad! I’ve never grown something that big before, so hats off to you! Did you know right now is an excellent time to get your little primate into plants and bugs? Get into with them! 😀

Here are some tiny humans doing a great job having fun in the dirt. Big thanks to my friends who shared these pix. They are all the most special and most adorable.