Easy Gardening As A Vegan
Spring is just around the corner.
Robins are gathering twigs and twine, the rain is falling heavier, the days are growing longer, and I am preparing to put peas in the garden.
Like most life, my journey to veganism started in a garden. I did not realize what would happen that first year I grew my own lettuce, but I am in awe of the journey, and while every day is a celebration of life, Spring has a special place in my heart.
Gardening runs in my blood and is a heavy priority for me and my family. The year we decided to go vegan I did not have my sanctuary. The decision to eat a plant-based diet made that fact weigh heavy on me.
Plus my then five-year-old was struggling with our new lifestyle. So much so, I broke when the family came to visit and demand I at least feed him fish. It was a poor decision to allow my home to be dictated to by un-knowledgeable sources but this mama has more comeback in her than a tennis racquet.
The following spring rolled around and I was blessed with a plot of ground to call my own. While it was and is all mine, my job and commitment to raising healthy eaters demanded that I give up precious space to my little ones.
I gave each of my three children their own little garden space. I watched my reluctant vegetable eater turn into a little rabbit. He would spend hours watching his plants in his garden grow. Peas, cherry tomatoes, beans, and strawberries never made it into the house, they were gobbled up! Victory!
Gardening is the easiest way to create interest in new fruits and vegetables. It was my willingness to share my sanctuary with my children that have changed my once picky eater into a full-on vegan! He now asks people when they offer him food “Is this vegan or is it poisonous?”. Now that’s a full-blooded vegan!
Where do you start? That is the first question I am asked by new gardeners. You are going to want to start by learning how to compost and begin building your own compost pile.
If going vegan is the least we can do, reducing waste and putting back into a garden is the most we can do! Next, select a site in your back or front yard that gets at least 6 hours of sun every day.
From here, it really depends on where you live. Check your local organic garden stores, youtube, and gardening groups for location-specific gardening advice. But the most important step is to start!
Now if you are reading this and you live in an apartment before you say “I don’t have room or land for a garden”. Let me give you a few tips and tricks to overcome this.
- A patio garden is capable of doing more than you can imagine. When I was without a garden I lived 5,000 feet above sea level and there was no hope for me! If you have sunshine and a patio you have HOPE!
- Go to ‘you pick’ farms. Crack out a calendar and plan the summer out to make sure you do not miss any of the goods when they are in season. Strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, cherries apple pumpkins, and more depending on where you live are all available as you pick. Allowing your children to see these fruits and vegetables growing will certainly spark interest!
- Visit a community garden. These genius ideas are popping up everywhere. With a little digging on the internet, you are sure to find one, and if you don’t maybe it is time you introduce one to your community. A place where you and your neighbors and the children in your community can cry, Sanctuary!
