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Growing Your Own Food Is A Powerful Metaphor For Your Life ~ Maxing Out My Garden Tower & Birthing The New
One angle view of my Garden Tower – it swivels fully around to ensure all plants receive equal sunlight time. This is after having already heavily harvested things.
I think I’ve likely won the prize for maxing out a Garden Tower, but who knows? Perhaps others have gone a bit plant crazy with all the excitement of growing some of Nature’s goodness.
If I counted correctly, my Garden Tower now is home to 96 plants! LOL!
While that may not be the “right” gardening protocol, it sure is working for me and I keep learning as I go along simply by experimenting, following my intuition, and through actual hands-on experience…valuable ways to really learn and grow.
If everything we do is a mirror of us, I guess the abundant maxing out of my Garden Tower reveals to you what has been birthing inside of me ready to blossom – A LOT!
Another view of the Garden Tower
My plants are thriving and happy and somehow, without any gardening know-how and knowledge, I’ve been cultivating quite the little mini garden of a variety of fresh goodness. They go through their challenges, but then I adjust things and they shift in return.
Habanero Peppers are going crazy
Top of the Garden Tower loaded with goodies
Some of the newer additions include Blue Lake Pole Beans, Japanese Cucumber, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Habanero Peppers to add to my three other spicy varieties, and Pablo Lettuce, Celebrity and Roma Tomatoes to add to my varieties of each of those.
Pablo Lettuce – these were super yum and I’ve gotten 2 harvests from them in the last couple of days with more on the way
I constantly have a little or large harvest of veggies, which is always so fulfilling to enjoy and know that I’ve cared for, honored, and shown gratitude to each of them for their blessings.
One of my harvests of Pablo Lettuce, Serrano Peppers, Cayenne Long Slim Hot Peppers, and a Jalapeno
I know many of you have been interested to watch my journey with my Garden Tower, before jumping in yourself. So if you’re waiting I say jump!
You won’t regret it and it will add to your quality of life on many levels, not just providing you organic, non-gmo nutrients for your body, but also overall well-being as you spend time with Nature and develop a deeper relationship to yourself and Earth through the experience.
Once again, if I can do it, anyone can, as it REALLY IS easy and you can have one anywhere there’s sunlight hitting a corner of your balcony, patio, or yard.
Another view of the Garden Tower
I don’t have a lot of extra time in my life with the creative projects and life transitions I’m making, so I opted for something easy, but that actually created more balance and time, giving me an extra excuse to get down and dirty with my hands, feet, and sometimes legs and butt in the dirt (I’m usually wearing a short sundress) when I’m in planting mode and have all the soil on the ground under and around me. I get really messy before I clean up. 🙂
And every time I go outside to work with, or check on, my plants, it never fails that my White Butterfly friend is there to greet me. The first time it was a full on dance and like an invocation of mystical energy between us that lasted a long time. And ever time thereafter has been shorter little acknowledgements just letting me know she is there, watching over me and the plants, and is happy about what I am doing. She will stop on a plant for a length of time so that we can get a good look at each other and then she flutters around me and disappears.
There are many other insects that like to come and greet me too and I get to see my worms now and then in the Garden Tower – all happy and well-nourished, as they take care to support my plants.
I hope you enjoy these little updates and that they might inspire you on some level to try your hand at growing your own food. Even if that means a few potted plants, a Garden Tower, a full on garden or greenhouse, or you decide to dig deeply into permaculture and more.
You can even try planting a few seeds somewhere and watch as they grow and blossom from your care.
I know I’ve enjoyed that both in my Garden Tower and out front. I have Moonflowers and Malabar Spinach starting to flourish, and of course my amazing Heirloom Mammoth Greystripe Sunflowers that have blossomed right in time to see me off.
My two Sunflowers in bloom
My second 41-inch Sunflower blossomed today, right on cue as I knew she would. She still has a few little demure petals shyly still unfolding, but I now have two beautiful blossoms welcoming the sun and anyone that passes by with their warmth and cheer.
My second tallest Sunflower revealing herself
As you plant your seeds, realize that they mirror the intentional seeds you plant in your own life and how you nurture, cultivate, and care for them will determine what blossoms into manifestation.
Gardening is a good metaphor for life and the cultivation of your dreams. As have I found the same to be true of the caring for my animal companions and the cultivation of our relationship.
My first Sunflower keeps getting more beautiful by the day…in full glory here
Your connection with Nature in all her glorious forms will enrich, enhance, and deepen the relationship you have with yourself and what you share with the world.
Cosmic Purple Carrots for Cosmo and Joy Made with Love
Yesterday I harvested my first Cosmic Purple Carrots. Yes, that’s what they’re called. I didn’t make that up, although it sounds like something I would have named. 🙂 I specifically planted them because of their name, thinking how perfect they were for me. And they really are amazing.
I decided to gift the two I harvested to the bunnies after their hanging in there for the ride to the mountains last night. I just cut a tiny piece to try, and gave the rest to Joy and Cosmo. Both the bunnies and I found them super yummy! Cosmo inhaled his.
It’s wonderful to be able to give the bunnies some homegrown love cultivated just for them by Nature and me.
Homegrown Yum for Me and the Buns
Yesterday’s heaping harvest bowl
It’s been so much fun and so rewarding to be able to grow and eat our own food. While I may not have some huge garden, I do have one that is perfect for my level of time and commitment, as well as our needs.
Thank you Laura for your inspiration. I so honor the commitment you have to creating your piece of Heaven on Earth with your amazing garden.
For us, between the low maintenance fruit trees and bushes, herbs, flowers, lush greenery, and now my Garden Tower, the garden supplies us with a perfect little supply of goodness that the whole family can enjoy. And I only take as much as I need daily and there seems to be exactly that amount ready so far, as in 2 strawberries at a time that are ripe – one each for the bunnies and at start a couple more for us.
This morning’s strawberries for Joy and Cosmo
This will of course increase over time, but it’s perfect for our needs, while also providing a channel for Nature nurturing and reverence time that tends to both Mother Earth and ourselves through that loving engagement.
Cosmo enjoying his fresh veggies – parsley and carrot tops from the garden with some cilantro (mine is still sprouting) and dandelion greens from Mother’s Market. Soon I’ll have more for them, as I’m going to plant some extras.
One of my specific intents for the Garden Tower, which I told the bunnies when I first got it, was to grow fresh veggies for them – all their favorites like parsley, cilantro, carrot greens, strawberries…. And I’m doing just that!
Joy munching away on her garden parsley
Just yesterday, the Garden Tower yielded a big bunch of parsley and carrot tops for them.
I haven’t had the Garden Tower for very long and within about 2 months, and in some cases less, I’ve already been harvesting a bunch of good stuff.
Fresh mix of lettuces including Petite Rouge along with fresh Rosemary for our salads
I’ve been enjoying the afternoon breaks saying hi to my plants, watering, pruning, planting new seeds…
I love the smell of the fresh plants, especially the tomato plants that remind me of our garden when I was a little girl. We used to have tons of giant tomato plants, eggplants, you name it! And I remember my grandparents from France coming to visit for the Summers and working our front and backyard, as well as the garden and then mom and meme (my grandmother) cooking up my favorite eggplant dish. Mmmmmmm! I do remember the frightful giant tomato worms though. They were a bit scary 🙂
My first Heirloom Anaheim Pepper, which will find its way into tonight’s dinner – there are a bunch more getting ready soon
Luckily all is well with the Garden Tower and although I have the occasional raccoon or opossum critter coming to share some of the strawberries, and a family of birds that like to sit on the very tall branches of the Mesculun Mix Lettuce and bend them, it’s a harmonious circle of life. Even the bees and butterflies are around, as well as the worms, caterpillars, and spiders.
Another harvest of lettuce including Mesculun mix, more chives (I got some for my cheezy quinoa kale burger patties on Summer Solstice too), basil, sweet little Paris Market Carrots (I love these bite size morsels perfect for salads or casserole or curry additions, plus the stem greens are then food for the bunnies), and a big bunch of parsley that went to rabbit tummies.
And I’m excited about the surprises growing out front. I went a little seed crazy after my first round didn’t take so well, throwing a bunch of seeds around. Then suddenly late bloomers came out from the first round and now a bunch of new sprouts are popping out. I have at least 15 flowering plants beginning to grow in the front by the garage, which includes Sunflowers, Moonflowers, Red Malabar Spinach, and a variety of perhaps Orange California Poppies, and garden and butterfly flower mixes. Super fun!
My first little Heirloom Sun Gold Tomatoes – cherry sized! So sweet and love their little 5-pointed star tops. A bunch of tomatoes are still to come, as they’re all getting close!
I’m going to pick up a few more things or the Garden Tower this week, as I want to replace some things and add.
Again, it’s not hard to do this, as I know absolutely nothing about it and it doesn’t take a lot of time either. Although I promise you that the time you do spend will be rewarding and you will look forward to every day and loving your plants into blossom.
A perfect heart-shaped plum from our tree. Love being mirrored from Nature. <3
There is a Faery gardener, farmer, Earth lover, and life nurturer in all of us. You can choose what supports your needs best, but don’t neglect your time deepening your relationship with Mother Nature.
The Plants, Trees, Earth, Water, Air, Sun, Moon, Animals, Minerals, Stones, Crystals….all reflect the Nature of You. I can’t tell you how your time spent with any or all of these will enhance your life and bring us collectively back to natural harmony.
My perfect little Gardenia that has front row honor on my desk right next to me and my Crystal friends. Oh the fragrance!! Totally intoxicating. Totally something to be grateful for.
When ever I need an unplug and recharge, I know what supports that the most. Nature time. One of my favorites being snuggling and playing with the bunnies, but also just sitting on the deck listening to the birds and smelling the flowers, or having a check-in with the new growth each day that mirrors my own.