“Harmony is about bringing things into balance and knowing how to go from sunrise to sunset. Mother Nature teaches this to us, in so many ways, each and every day.” ― Jaeda DeWalt

This year, as with each of the past several years, I received dirt for Mother’s Day.

Literally, dirt. Last year (above) it was a dumptruck’s worth of 6.9 pH and this year it was a cubic yard dropped off by a family friend with a pickup truck (pH unknown but quality guaranteed). In fact, that is why this post is so delinquent–I had to work with a wonky right hand and spread the dirt before tomorrow’s rain made it a mud pit.

What do I do with all that dirt? Well, besides planting my anniversary present (May 6th typically means I get to have actually living flowers to add to my garden), I use the dirt to grow food for my family using a method called “square foot gardening.” Square foot gardening, as it was first coined by Mel Bartholemew, is a way of getting more bang for your buck (cause, let’s face it, dirt ain’t cheap). Once you have your dirt though, you can take untreated wood and build your beds.

Some folks use other materials or ready-made boxes from home improvement stores or garden centers–that’s up to you. The idea is to create a box long, wide, and deep enough to place in an ideal spot to grow what you want to grow. It’s great for people who have poor substrate (like our clay yard), have small spaces (think of it as container gardening–some people put bottoms on their boxes), or don’t want to till down into their yards for whatever reason. 

Once you have your box built and filled with dirt, you’ll need to measure and mark out your square feet (or it isn’t *technically* square feet gardening). From that point, you can use any number of resources to help you plan your squares. Mel’s website and book are great but there are grids (like the ones below) available all over the internet. If you want to stay organic/low-pesticide and get better yields and flavors, look into companion planting. It’s a great way to get diversity into your squares and reduce the need for pesticides or chemical soil boosters.

Square foot gardens are great because you can concentrate on each square to look for and treat problems such as pests and weeds, water each as needed, and rotate them as the seasons turn. It seems like a lot of work but, honestly, it’s SUPER easy once you have a plan.

We started with two 4x4 beds and now we have roughly 120 square feet of beds now (both flowers and edibles). We have them with multiple levels; wrapped with fencing to protect them from dogs, kids, and other pests; and use fake predators and whirly-gigs to deter birds and squirrels. This photo is from last year (my blog will have more from this year’s progress).

I love to grow food for my family and I love to involve my family in the growing of our food. My son (and our foster kids) always feel more invested in eating the vegetables they’ve helped to grow and we love sharing the bounty with our friends and family. The work we put in as a family together is fun–even if it’s usually me pulling weeds while the kids play in the sandbox and the husband cooks on the grill. Smelling oregano and basil into the evening as we sit around the fire-pit and make S'mores…THIS is my therapy. THIS is what grounds me and keeps me anchored and centered as a mother and as a human.

Well, that and my imperative as a Southern woman to grow that perfect tomato.

~Marci aka Mamamusement

aries 

taurus 

gemini

cancer

leo

virgo

 libra

scorpio

sagittarius

capricorn

aquarius

pisces