Can This Virus Grow Gardeners?

Get Growing - What Have You Got To Loose?

Spring is here and so is this surreal world wide Corona Virus. Being forced to stay home allows lots of time for all of us to reflect and get creative. Restore, renew, and recalibrate. Time to grow....and to get growing.

For some, this is a routine. For others, I challenge you with these seeds. Why not try it?

The timing is perfect. Perhaps this time was meant to get us all back to the basics. You don't need a lot of space to plant and grow what you love. A small area in your yard, a raised bed or planters on your patio can be enough to start growing. The satisfaction and reward far outweigh the efforts.

If you take the challenge, I predict that you will become addicted to a new way of life. There is nothing like playing in the dirt to make you forget the world for a while. “It takes you back to your roots”, as they say, and you sleep good.

My first thoughts when issued to stay home and reduce store visits, were to thank God I have the ability to grow my own vegetables and fruit. Seriously. A fish from the lower pond, rooted potatoes, fresh frozen fruit in the freezer, and a healthy salad are all we need. Oh, and the berry dessert.

For a girl who for 16 years, never grew anything but ornamentals, I have now become consumed with growing edibles for our meals. An addict? Perhaps.

How would you like to go outside your door for your salad needs? Or to have fresh fruit that you yourself grew...knowing that there are no chemicals on your vegetables, berries or apples?

As natural as it is easy, growing your own is

more rewarding than you can imagine.

For me, it started with old wood from the barn and a few raised beds.

(Plant Borage in your garden....a super pollinator magnet.)

You would be amazed at the quantity of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas harvested from that little garden. We filled baskets daily. A fresh abundance for us, the freezer, canning, and some friends.

Once the deer found the garden, the fence was crucial. Having to go to that measure, I decided to expand the growing space a bit to allow for the much loved garlic, green bean teepee,

and a flat of asparagus that I found on sale.

The original

12’ x’ 12’ bed is still in use today..with a few additions.

In the midst of the vegie kraze, why not add some cut flowers to the mix and it can be quite rewarding. A business in itself really. IF you plant flowers that reseed themselves year after year, you are on your way to natural beautification and possibly profit.

The possibilities are endless as to what you can do with flowers. Fresh cut, dried, and preserved flowers are a commodity any way you look at them. Add herbs and it becomes really interesting.

Here at La Ferme Rouge, growing cut flowers primarily for landscape ornament transitioned into use for weddings as well.

Brides save big bucks with the in house source.

What would you like to grow? By reading a little, asking a few questions, and digging in,

YOU CAN DO THIS.

Do you have a favorite? Is outdoor living appealing to you? Can you see it? I know you can grow it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of striking the right nerve.......

A young local grower, Amie Itle, has a business called ‘Country Dahlia’s’ in Loretto, Pennsylvania. She has a wide variety of Dahlias...and is growing more every day. When I need an abundance or specific color, she is my ‘local’ source. It is always a thrill to visit her farm.

I admire her drive and persistence with achieving her growing goals. Last year it was exciting to see her new 90' hoop house. She can now extend her growing and marketing season. You go girl!!!

While researching fresh cut flowers this past winter, I found an inspirational, influential, and educational story.

FloretFlowers.com has taken the flower market by storm. Erin at Floret has created a wave for growing and marketing cut flowers in the United States. She encourages and teaches her practices to growers everywhere.

Did you know that most cut flowers used by our florists are from other countries?

Check out her story and you will be as intrigued as I to learn how she got started.

My point here ladies and gentlemen, is that if Erin in Washington State, Amie in Loretto, and I in Patton, Pa. can grow it, You Can Too.

Now more than ever, we can do our part to grow more in our own country. As a passion or a patriotic duty, take the challenge.

You too, just might be a candidate for a gardening addiction.