The Beginner Gardener

Contributed by Sheri White, Nourish Volunteer

Any space can become a garden space. Whether it is a kitchen window, a balcony, a backyard and whether you are providing food for yourself, the birds, or pollinators. Every little bit helps.

When COVID struck in 2020 our backyard transformation had already begun. We had built beds for our pollinator perennials as well as having planted a pear tree, fruit bearing shrubs (raspberries and currants), and a strawberry patch in our large rock garden. Little did we know that we would be in competition for the best berries by an arch nemesis.*

As things began to shutdown in March our wood was delivered and we spent that first summer of COVID building raised planters and planting vegetable gardens.

As a beginner, with so much to learn, I was inspired by gardening shows and local gardening books by Marjorie Willison and Niki Jabbour, both East Coast gardening experts. I also learned to embrace failure, not as a reflection of how poor I was as a gardener, but as a motivator of how much I was going to learn. More than anything, I learned about the therapeutic benefits of putting my hands into dirt, tending to a space that is designed for nurturing, and appreciating how much effort goes into making a single carrot.

That first summer we enjoyed green beans, peas, potatoes, brussel sprouts, kale, the smallest carrots on earth and many more small bounties. And still, what the garden gave me is immeasurable and my year continues to rotate around this special space. Now it’s time to start my indoor seeds and have it start all over again. Another new beginning.

*And our arch nemesis? Here she is….she picks out the brightest strawberries and takes just one bite.  Our dog Ellie gets the remainder. I lost the battle for the last two years, but this year will be different. I’m sure of it.