The Life Lessons Learned from Organic Gardening

Last year, I was overwhelmed and saw an ad for a local organic gardening program.

There was a limit on enrollments and based on the amount of interest and comments the post had, it didn't seem like there was any space left, but I sent a message anyways. To my surprise, I got a seat! Over the next 10 months, a lot was learned and I began to heal a part of myself that had been neglected for too long.

Thanks to my mom from a young age, gardening was not new to me. But stepping outside of my comfort zone and joining a group was something that I had not practiced in some time. When I was a kid, hours were spent almost every single day playing outside and touching the earth. A good day was measured by dirty hands and messy hair. Yet somewhere along the way, I stopped prioritizing just how human it is to connect with the planet in this way. While I always continued to grow vegetables in pots and a variety of house plants, the pure connection was lost.

But when I started the gardening program a sparkle came back and it started to get me thinking...

There were some great people and lifelong friends made from that summer as we grew food for our families. We learned about succession and companion planting, fungal networks in soil, and just how incredible the ecosystem is at being its own pest control (as long as you know where to plant what). I learned how to preserve the food I grew and even made my own tea. This year, I had the privilege of being invited back and have been reflecting on just how much of a blessing that has been.

The sparkle that started at the beginning of the season last year only continued to grow. As new knowledge came, the vision that I had had for my life years ago, started to become clearer again. It felt like touching the rich soil was transferring a new energy directly to my body. (On a microbiological level, that's exactly what happens with grounding, as electrons from the negative-charged earth are transferred to your positive-charged body to neutralize free radicals.)

There are almost countless benefits for your body when you are outside interacting with nature.

However, one of the most noticeable has been to my mental health. (We've all got some stuff. ) Kneeling in the soil and knowing that as we built the garden plots, we were not only bringing biodiversity to the land, but also building community, and creating a source of unmatched nutrition for our bodies, made something in my brain click. It's almost like this is what we're supposed to be doing. Tasting the crops felt like the food was actually alive. Flavors from cross-pollination of basil were evident in the tomatoes and wildflowers were evident in the cauliflower. Peas were gigantic and filling and a single cucumber lasted us multiple days. I could not believe the sweetness of the red onions and the bounty of the herbs. It was pure nourishment as intended. Watching the growth from seed to plate reminded me of some things: 1. People need community. People need to grow (at least some) of their food. One of the most impactful lessons that I've been reminded of in this journey is that we need to remember that the further we separate ourselves from the planet, the harder life gets. As dramatic as that sounds, it makes a lot of sense when we think about it with science: contact with the earth literally resets our cells. 2. Your body was created to absorb as much natural light as possible. Natural light and connecting with the earth supports mitochondrial function in your cells which affects nearly every process in your body from cognition to digestion to sleep to mood. 3. Confidence comes with foundational knowledge. As I've gotten more confident in the garden, it has somehow translated to being more confident in life. There have been failures and learning curves, but the magic of learning how to work is recognizing that sometimes your garden maps just don't work out, but the soil always knows what to do. Unlocking a skill that my (and your) ancestors did every day for survival has brought a sense of wholeness which only makes me want to learn more. We truly are a part of nature and something ancient wakes up inside of us when we realize just how meaningful that is.

4. Nutrition is easier than we tend to make it. Organic food has everything your body needs. Why are we overcomplicating it with endless supplements? So. I encourage you today: interact with the earth. Learn to grow one thing. You don't need a farm and you don't need expensive equipment. Trust me when I say that you need to feel a little fire ignite with the empowerment of learning how to garden. These thoughts and growth are only possible because of the initial invitation to come join the farm. Massive thank you to Andrew, Jane, and Michelle (special shoutout to Shaylene), for hosting a program that I can honestly say brought me back to myself. Now, go outside. 💚