Developing My 'Tiny' Garden

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One of the reasons for moving four years ago was to create a new beginning; hoping to build new habits that enhance healing.  Thus, before starting a garden, I had serious talks with myself.  The area available for creating a garden was very small.  After all, the move was from a big bungalow lot to a  terraced house.  I was sure I had to start from my attitude towards gardening.  I started with a beginner's stance.  Even though I was not new to gardening, it was the first time I was alone, even though I had available help from my son and grandson.  A beginner's stance helped me look and learn with fresh eyes. That attitude tuneup allowed me to be more in the moment.


https://youtu.be/Vbok6_PgMKs


Another was a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset.  I did not have to know now, I could learn as the 'garden' developed.  As long as I remain open and observant, Allah willing, I could always get better.  This allowed me to take gardening as something to experiment with and experience my progress with gratitude.


Do watch the above YouTube videos.  I do think the beginner’s mindset and the growth mindset allow us to learn and progress with less stress.  Another attitude I decided to develop was self care and compassion.  I have been known to be a pretty compassionate person towards other people.  Not so towards myself :-(  With my autoimmune issues, being overly ambitious often brings on a flare up. I told myself to practise mindfulness, and to stop before getting too tired.  I learned, and continue to learn, to break tasks into smaller units and in the long run, consistency is the real winner.


The back part of the house was full of construction debris.  Seemed like they chose my particular plot to bury all the debris of the whole neighbourhood? Since I was operating on a shoestring budget, I gathered whatever pots I could find, and decided that everything would be grown in containers.  Which was a very fortunate decision! Two years in, my ciku tree full of fruits was eaten through by termites.  I gathered my helpers and placed bricks under every container.  I am still nursing the soursop and the lemon, and might have to take them out if they don't recover.


As I got to know my house better, I discovered that I have nooks and corners for planting spaces.  I try to plant what the family will eat.  I also plant flowers for my kelulut hive.  My green vegetables are still not enough to be self-sufficient, but I am having some measure of success with sawi, pak choy, bayam, and kailan.  The real surprise is kale.  I thought that would give me trouble since it is not local.  I love it because I can eat it both raw and cooked.  But I have no success with celery and leeks.  I am still trying, I will give it a few more attempts.  My grandson loves dragon fruits but mine won't bear fruits.  My granddaughter loves strawberries but mine bear miniscule fruits.  And I have about a million pests.  But all in all, I am still cool.


My granddaughter will not eat most vegetables, but she eats microgreens!  Watch this YouTube video that my son and I made:



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Email.    : distilledmoment@gmail.com

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Twitter handle: @distilledmoment

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