I've had this blog for 7 1/2 years now and I've never shared my love of gardening. That is just a shame! I've been gardening in my backyard for about 3 years. Last fall, we took a huge step and turned our not-so-nice front lawn into a front yard garden. It was a huge amount of time and effort, but it was absolutely worth every bit of it! Everything in my front yard garden is now on a drip system that is saving us money, but we get a beautiful garden that produces food and beauty for us instead of a lawn that never looks good. I'd say that is a pretty good deal!
The fruits of our labor! |
Frugal Gardening
Our family chooses to buy organically what is called "The Dirty Dozen." Most other things we buy from our local farms, which we are very blessed to be surrounded by. These farms are cheap and, although they are not officially labeled organic, they are organically grown and pesticide free. Cheaper than buying any of this produce, though, is growing it!
In our entire yard, we are currently growing (most of which are producing or will produce soon) crookneck squash, zucchini, five varieties of tomatoes, seven varieties of bell peppers, two varieties of blueberries, several varieties of cucumbers, two varieties of strawberries, Bartlett pears, Fuji apples, Pink Lady apples, red grapes, Hass avocados, tangerines, two varieties of peaches, Mandarin oranges, navel oranges, lemons, limes, Santa Rosa plums, apricots, watermelon, cantaloupe, sage, rosemary, dill, cat mint (cat nip), lavender, artichoke, onions, garlic, lemon mint, and spearmint. Most of those plants and trees are actually in our front yard.
The cheapest way to organically garden is to grow from seed. However, this year both Costco and The Home Depot had organic plants for very cheap. I did find than some of these plants carried blight, a disease that is very contagious among tomato plants and must be disposed of. I threw away three plants because of this, but our fruit coming from the other plants has still outweighed our cost.
The price of seeds and plants, and even the minimal water used from the drip system to water these food-bearing plants doesn't come close to the fruit we see come from it. It truly is a frugal way to get food.
Fitness in Gardening
How does all this gardening fit into fitness? Well, aside from the nutrition we get from all we grow, it is physical work! Some may not enjoy this kind of work, but I actually enjoy trimming my plants, deadheading the roses, pulling the "occasional" weed, and, of course, picking our harvest. Then there is the heavy occasional labor like hauling plants, digging holes, trimming trees, and moving soil! A garden is living, and therefore you have to actively attend to it. It is work, but it is work that helps keep me fit and feeds me good food, so it's a win-win!
Family in Gardening
In addition to the physical fitness I get from tending to my garden, I enjoy the benefits of having an opportunity to teach my kids how to grow their own food. That is priceless. My oldest son told me the other day,
"Mom, when I grow up, I'm going to teach my kids how to garden because you taught me to."
This garden-loving mom just about had her heart melt to the floor! As a homeschool teacher, I can teach about nutrition, gardening, science, and nature all through my front yard. Since putting in the nearly 200 plants that make up our front yard garden, nature comes to us. We released lady bugs in our yard several months ago. They've made themselves quite comfortable eating aphids and are still in our yard. We get lizards and birds (although our cat keeps close watch on them!), beetles of all kinds, butterflies and dragonflies, moths, and praying mantises. My children love to see all of this right outside our front door.
Meet "Zippy," a hummingbird who watches over our yard! |
One bird in particular has found his way into our yard and our hearts. He (we think!) is a very territorial hummingbird. He chases any other birds out of our yard, and perches himself in a tree or on our tomato cages and just sits and watches. He comes close to us without flying away. We can watch him dart and dash through our yard, protecting all "his" sweet nectar-bearing plants. Because he made himself at home and claimed our yard as his own, we decided we would name him! One of my sons wanted to name him,"Dusty" while my other son wanted to name him "Zip." I just combined the names and so we call him "Zippy!"
I am so pleased that my kids get to experience nature on a whole new level compared to a lawn. They get to observe how things grow, if they bear seeds, change color, or smell a certain way. The education from our yard seems limitless! What a way to enjoy God's creation!
Left: "Zippy" the hummingbird enjoy nectar from our Mexican Sage. Right: A Swallowtail butterfly enjoying our geraniums! |
Faithfully Gardening
Gardening and running are two activities that for some reason open my mind up to be in awe of God and prayerfully thank Him. When I walk out my front door, I walk immediately into this beautiful garden with flowers blooming, birds chirping, butterflies fluttering, bees buzzing, and the warm smell of sunshine on herbs, and I am overwhelmed with what God has blessed us with. I can see tangibly how He is providing for us in the Summertime (a time when money is tight in our household). I am reminded often of this verse as I see the birds in my garden,
"Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!"
Luke 12:24
The Bible so often uses nature to describe the glory and works of God. What a blessing to be reminded of that in our own front yard!
I love our front yard and I love to share it with people, whether that means bringing extra basil to church, sharing Zoodles from my garden with friends, gifting friends with flower arrangements, or letting friends and family walk through our garden and pick blueberries. So, without further ado, here is our front yard garden...
Wow I absolutely love your garden, so inspiring! What zone are you located in? I also use a drip hose and find it makes life so much easier. I shop at Costco for plants as well. They have the best sales on gorgeous plants in the summer! (I feel like it’s the best kept gardening secret) I also stock up on bulbs there! You aren’t kidding when it comes to gardening being a workout. Sometimes my friends are like, you going to the gym today? I’ll be like no I don’t need to, I gardened all day! I find it super amazing and heart warming that you are teaching your children to garden. Such a great skill to pass down. I’m so happy I found your blog! Have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteThe Freckled Rose- Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm very excited to have found your blog as well! I'm in 9b, so my tomato plants aren't so happy in this last weeks 100 degree plus temps! My apple and avocado trees aren't either! Our drip is great for watering the plants, but when it gets this hot, the trees need a good soaking in addition to it!
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