GMO? GM-No – Grow your Own
If you’re trying to eat better and are so tired of all the scary stuff, do’s and don’ts, goods and bads for us out there, then I highly recommend growing your own veggies. Even if it’s just some basil and cilantro in a pot on a windowsill.
It’s something, a start, a small stand of defiance and claiming back power over your plate.
There’s nothing like planting a seed, nurturing it and watching it grow, then harvesting it so you can receive all that love back again when you eat it. This is the cycle we broke from. Eating food that came from love is a very different thing than food that has been driven by economics.
There’s a communion between plant and person that we have lost. And getting it back, even in some small way, can be a very powerful thing. Mother Nature is a great healer and teacher.
Growing your own food is one way to have control over what you eat.
It’s a great way to reconnect. We are separated from earth these days, in our concrete jungles and office cubicles. It feels good to sit on a beach or stand barefoot on grass. It feels even more amazing to put your hands in living dirt and watch something grow.
PLUS you know this food is organic and nonGMO. (Make sure you buy organic, heirloom seed and don’t put any chemicals on it!) You know YOUR veggies didn’t travel from South America or somewhere far away, they didn’t get picked too early and they haven’t been sitting on a shelf for 5 days.
Even in the city, a small apartment, it’s amazing what u can grow in a tiny space. Planting a seed – a few pots and a window, some soil, water and seeds are all you need. Plus a little time of course. If you have a balcony or access to a rooftop – even better!
Seeds for thought
- Use a Bokashi to turn your kitchen scraps into rich nutrient dense compost.
- A tomato, some spinach, herbs, micro-greens, spring onions, lettuce, kale and chard can all be grown pretty easily in pots.
- How bout some edible flowers like Nasturtium, Marigold or Violets. Goodness for the bees as well as your salad
- Up-cycle used cans to become pots for small plants. Maybe paint them bright colors, few holes in the bottom, a saucer for overflow and voila.
- Utilise vertical space for green beans and other things that grow UP. Have a living wall of edibles, hang pots from the ceiling – it’s all possible if we open ourselves to it.
- Learn how to save your seeds, barter with produce, teach your kids what a carrot is and where it comes from.
There’s nothing quite like the joy of eating your own food, and sharing any over abundance.
Go to town – Become an urban homesteader
If you’ve ever fantasised about the idea of homesteading, but like living in the city – don’t let that hold you back. Check out this article by Kathrin Herr, resident Apartment Homesteading Expert from “The Grow Network”. She believes that
“Homesteading is not about where you live, but HOW you live.”
Mother Nature will teach you a lot about magic and patience. I think it’s absolutely magic at work when I plant teeny little seeds in some dirt, and with a little love, sunshine and water out pops this green thing and it grows! Wonder. Love me some wonder. Not enough of that in this information age.
Get back in rhythm, reconnect, remember your interrelationship with everything on this earth. Have a play and enjoy the rewards of juicy goodness from great fresh food grown and picked by YOU.
