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For the Love of Gardening

Writer's picture: Smile WellnessSmile Wellness

Updated: Oct 11, 2024

We all lived through the Covid years, and whatever we all may think of that dystopian time in humanity, I think we all emerged from it as different people than we were before it began. One of the things that I instinctively took to in 2020, as soon as Covid hit, was gardening. My first instinct was to buy seeds, so I went with it. That year, I grew all of my vegetables from seed, and I learned what a true labour of love growing your own food is.

That first year I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t even know what was a plant and what was a weed in my garden at times! lol. I spent a lot of time online looking up ways to do things and I learned by trial and error. We were in the city at the time, so the backyard was fully fenced in, which meant no rabbits...but we had plenty of other critters to contend with. Squirrels were the worst. Little terrors these guys were! lol! I had a few things happen where my tomato plants got squished and broken from weather and pests...but I cleaned them up and kept on. The first year I learned that I’m pretty good at growing tomatoes and bell peppers. Green beans, too.


From there, I was on my way! The next year, I got a bit more clever. I secured my plants more, and I invented, ‘The Spray’, which is what this week’s recipe is going to be. After creating this spray, I found that I was able to keep a lot of pests, rodent and insect, out of my garden while not deterring pollinators. Finding a completely natural way to do this was very important to me, and I was so happy to figure it out. The following year I grew potatoes and started to learn about composting.

Today, I’ve got a few more things mastered. I’ve thrown cucumbers into the mix, eggplant, lettuce, jalapeno and other hot peppers. I grew cayenne peppers last year. I’m also working on mastering zucchini (I know...this should be easy...why can’t I seem to get it?? lol!). I’m hoping that this year’s attempt at zucchini will bear some fruit. Last year was the first year I got some...and it was two that were each about 2.5 inches long. Oh well, we got a loaf of zucchini bread out of the deal.

There are always challenges when it comes to gardening. There are weather conditions, certain plants that just don’t want to cooperate with you (ie. zucchinis and me), learning how to optimize your soil naturally, dealing with pests and critters. It’s not easy. This is now my 5th year, and I am learning something new all the time. I love it! I can’t imagine not growing food. Even when I lived in an apartment two summers ago, I bought planters and grew food on my balcony. I had decent yields of tomatoes and all kinds of peppers! I grew and ate my own lettuce all summer, and I also grew some celery which went great in the salads with my cherry tomatoes! I love growing my own basil for homemade pesto, chives for salads and seasoning meals, parsley as well. I’m also growing beets and onions this year! Potatoes were planted last week! So far the garden has been doing amazingly well, and I’m so grateful. I pray that it continues to thrive and that this year’s harvest is enough to get us through a significant portion of the winter. My goal within the next couple of years, ultimately, is to be able to can and freeze enough of my own veggies to feed us for the whole winter. Pretty ambitious, yes...but if I’ve learned anything over the past 5 years, I’ve definitely learned that growing your own food is not only amazing for your mind, body, and soul – but it is also freedom.


If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed at the thought of learning how to grow food, that’s completely valid. It’s not easy and you’re going to go through some major growing pains to learn how things work with your garden space. After growing food in the ground, in planters, and in a raised bed, I personally recommend the large, raised beds. If you’re able to have one in an area that provides some shelter as well, especially with the wind here in Bruce County, you’ll likely find that with a few tweaks, you’re going to do pretty well. There is a wealth of information online, and it’s always good to connect with people in your area who can provide you with tips and suggestions about how they deal with the same weather and other conditions. Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong places (please let me know), but since I haven’t found a page yet, I’m going to create one for gardeners in the next week. Stay tuned. I hope you’ll join and share your favourite tips and info.

There is nothing more therapeutic than gardening. It feeds the body and the soul, and it puts us back in touch with the earth. It’s also become a way for me to look back on the last 5 years, and see a beautiful thing that emerged from a dark time. If you’ve ever thought about gardening but weren’t sure if you could make the time for it, make the time. You’ll be so glad you did.

Before I sign off for this week, I want to make sure that I send a shout out to Smeltzer’s Garden Centre, where I got all of my vegetables this year and last year. Great quality plants, the people are lovely, and the price is right. I will continue to go there and support this fantastic local family business. I hope you will, too.


Until next week! Happy Gardening!


Source: Melissa Baumgaertner




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