My personal growth from Gardening

A few years ago I had never really tried to garden. I always wanted to but simply didn’t have the privilege of staying home long enough to make anything grow.

One of the things I e embraced during this pandemic is gardening. I had started toying around with understanding plants a year prior but was constantly frustrated with the results.

There are a few prevalent problems with gardening in the tropics, heat and sun burn the plants, the humidity can cause root rot and the insects are brutal and nest in many plants. Also, I was still traveling for work every 2 weeks so I had nobody to watch over the plants the right wat while I was gone. Jeremy was home but he didn’t understand plants either so I hired someone here on island to simply water my plants while I was away. It helped but these issues still plagued my plants.

Eventually I decided to look at it all like a science project and I committed myself to fully understanding each plant I brought home. Much like understanding a new pet.

I read everything I could, installed apps like “nature ID” and covid had hit so I was home to watch my plants personally.

I needed the distraction because the pandemic freaked me out.

What I noticed was that as I was learning more about healing these beautiful plants I was also learning more about healing myself.

A few incredible things happened.

1. My daily dose of vitamin D was much easier to attain in my own back yard. I’m not a social person so leaving the house can be an issue at times therefore it’s harder to get daily vitamin D. However with all of my plants constantly ushering me outside I was in the sun more.

2. My depression started to lift while I was looking after my plants. I could go from peeked anxiety to calm within 25 minutes of touching my greenery. I found myself putting on calming music for my plants, hydrating them, talking to them. I was learning the self love and self soothing that has eluded me for so long simply by showing compassion to my ferns.

3. My mental health and memory began to improve due to my watering schedule.

4. I actually began to socialize more. I wanted to show my friends my plants so while I struggle to leave the house I wanted people to come over and see my garden. It allowed me to open conversation under the guise of learning about my plants. I was learning and socializing at the same time.

5. Being in my garden helped soften painful memories from my childhood. I was able to remember time with my mother in the garden, which was always a fun time as a child. I started to soften my painful memories and prioritize my fun memories because I could call my mom and ask advice without talking religion, family politics or stressful stuff. Talking about Gardening built a bridge of understanding and safe conversation between my folks and myself. I even bought my folks a hydroponic tower so they can grow during the harsh illinois winter.

6. I could now heal my relationship with my dad focusing only on this tower that had obsessed him. My dad is a science fiction junkie and thought the tower looked like a robot so he became extra interested in it. I even got one for myself so that I could create something for him to help me with. Dads need to direct their kids but this way my personal life was not the topic the tower was, still Is... I can call him and not worry about a lecture about my lifestyle but rather I could ask advice about something I’m genuinely interested in, the tower. I can ask him for advice and help and not feel as vulnerable about complicated topics. Rather we started growing together literally and figuratively. We have great conversations about the tower!

7. Eventually with the tower, I started germinating and growing my own plants from seeds. I got to watch the entire process which was very cool science! The tower really focuses on edible plants such as mixed greens, arugula, Basil etc.

So not only was I learning the science behind growing I was also able to look forward to eating the food that I grew. I still look forward to harvest time every day. I go out and I check my plans to see how much sure they are, how many days I have left till I can eat that zucchini, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, I began to become excited by tasting fresh food. It made me realize that I had not really tasted garden fresh food since I was little. My mom had an incredible garden because she has a great green thumb so we always had food fresh from the garden when I was young. We were broke, it was the cheapest way to eat for a family of 5 and the healthiest.

So this is why I constantly have so much greenery. This is why I am so proud of my garden. I’m so proud of it that it spills from the front breezeway to the back breezeway and all throughout the house. I’m able to see greenery every day, literally breathe in the benefits of healthy air, eat fresh chemical free food and change the narrative between my parents and myself. Gardening has been a delight! It is one thing that keeps me mentally stable every day.

So I decided to combine two of my favorite things, a nice warm bath and beautiful greenery.