It’s thyme for a guest blog, and this one is from my sister Christina! Gardening has become one of her passions over the years as she continues learning, practicing, and growing her skills (and produce). For someone with almost zero experience (like me), gardening can seem overwhelming, but Christina’s heart and hope is to inspire us to action – one seed a time. It truly is more than a hobby, and there is great value in expanding our garden knowledge. So romaine calm, and keep reading!

“(Bio)Dynamic Thoughts From a Practicing Gardener” by Christina Maul

Many people have turned to gardening specifically in the past 18 months, whether as a distraction from the world, a meditative act, a casual hobby, a labor of love, or a TikTok trend. To grow a garden is to place your belief in yourself and positive future outcomes, which feels like an appropriate anecdote as we aim to mask and vaccinate ourselves out of a global pandemic.

Cultivating a garden is also a radical act, one that challenges systemic oppression as Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley reminds us that, “Growing your own food is like printing your own money.” Gardening is tradition and a teacher to connect us to nature and each other, as Robin Wall Kimmerer, member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, professor, and author of Braiding Sweetgrass said, “This is really why my children learn to garden – they always have a mother to love them, long after I am gone.” Replacing lawns, and even the small strips between streets and sidewalks, with fruits, vegetables, herbs, and trees, are acts of peace and methods for combatting climate change and improving access to fresh produce in areas with food deserts. 

My initial gardening experiences were an erratic, ignorant, privileged endeavor, because I was doing it as a hobby, not a necessity to live. By recognizing that privilege, I approach it now in a more humbling way and want to help engage and delight others in it. There is so much I learn each time I plan, prepare, tend, weed, harvest, share, that to others may make it seem understandably overwhelming. I organize my plans, notes and findings in this charming garden journal. My hope here is to spark your interest and share some the little gems of wisdom I have collected from years of practice, from family, friends, and almost all of Louise Riotte’s books, to help show how gardening can and should be accessible to all. 

• Gardening space can be pots on a porch, raised beds, or upcycling items like old drawers, boxes or other containers.
• Consider how much light an area receives during the day and if it is affected by artificial light at night.
• Amend existing growing areas with new soil and/or compost prior to planting.
• Observe what grows well and is native to your climate.
• Read up on companion planting when choosing what to grow – carrots love tomatoes and basil; strawberries love lettuce.
• Looking for near-instant results? Plant radishes and lettuces; they have short grow times and are easy to sow.
• A variety of herb starts is another easy way to get into gardening and impact your home cooking.
• Support your local hardware and nursery stores; shop online for seeds from places like Territorial.
• Water your winter/spring gardens in the evening and summer/fall gardens in the morning to reduce shock to your plants.
• Wait for your seeds to sprout before watering, though water transplants immediately when planted.
• Generally speaking, plant vegetables and fruits that produce above ground, in the first and second quarters of the moon.
• Weed the garden in the third and fourth quarters of the moon.

Maybe gardening can do for you, what it has done for me; help shift perspective from ego to eco, to see the world as reverently interconnected, to know that our choices directly impact the future the coming generations inherit.

A few favorites:

• A guide to learn about and track the moon phases
• Nimble, waterproof gloves for planting and weeding
• The only garden tool I use regularly