Growing your own when you don't own a garden!

Beyond Baby Led Weaning • April 3, 2018

Here's a brilliant guest blog about overcoming the challenge of not having a growing plot in an innovative way.

I grew up with parents who gardened; however, it wasn't until my daughter arrived that I had any idea how important and powerful growing your own food could be. When I began weaning my daughter, my interest in cooking intensified, and researching the best way to feed my family naturally led me to the idea of growing my own food. I had small successes last summer on a shady balcony, and watching the seeds that me and my daughter planted grow into fruits and vegetables brought us both joy and satisfaction. I realise I wanted a BIG garden!

However, we live in a flat in the city of Basel, Switzerland; and we don't have enough room or (crucially) sunlight to grow food, but I felt strongly that this (rather large!) obstacle could be overcome. Thanks to the power of Facebook I have met three wonderful women who are allowing me to grow in their gardens this spring and summer - such generosity! I plan to spend my spring and summer cycling around Basel on my bike with my daughter building raised beds, watering and digging in the soil. Pretty much full time.

This is my first gardening "project" and it's ambitious! So far I have overcome some challenges. I have salvaged raised beds from scrap furniture I didn't want anymore, I've picked old fruit and vegetable crates off the street that people didn't want, I've bought unwanted pots cheaply from Basel residents, and I have transported 150 litres of organic compost with my buggy (I now know it can transport FIFTY litres of compost if I push very slowly!) and a sholley. I got all this for 15 francs, a fraction of what it would have cost me at the garden centre. I will use plastic bottles for cloches and I will line my raised beds with cardboard that would otherwise be recycled.

There have been some amazing benefits amidst the problem solving. The search for cheap, organic compost led me to a composting group who accept your vegetable scraps weekly and will give you some compost in return at the end of the year. This is something that has been on my list of things to do for a year! So now we have a compost bin which my daughter is in charge of, and I feel like we are now contributing even further to the cycle of growing.

Now that April is here, my seeds have started sprouting. So far I have planted: kale, three varieties of tomatoes, peppers, courgettes (two varieties), garlic chives, broad beans and violas. I will be planting more outside as it gets warmer.

My daughter has been in charge of watering the seedlings and with a little observation she is now very gentle and respectful of them. We have talked about the veins in leaves, (we also have a small kumquat tree) and what seedlings do and do not like to eat. She is very excited to pick strawberries when the time comes :) Every morning we examine our seedlings and talk about their growth. I want my daughter to know where her food comes from and how it comes to be. I want her to know how to grow, harvest, prepare AND dispose of food properly; the whole cycle. I want her to be a responsible consumer.

Here are the benefits I think this project will bring to me and my family.

Benefits for me:

More time outside in nature, moving my body.

I get to learn every day - I am an amateur gardener.

Eating vegetables and fruits fresh from the garden.

Preparing and cooking produce I may not be familiar with.

Learning to preserve or ferment gluts of certain vegetables (I hope!)

Connecting more with the community here as I continue to salvage materials I need.

Potential opportunities to swap fresh produce with other gardeners.

Benefits for my daughter:

More opportunities for my daughter to dig in the dirt and improve the diversity of her microbiome.

More opportunities for messy play outside - something that is a little limited in a flat.

Learning to plant, weed and water gently.

Distinguishing between different plants.

Learning how plants grow and when they are ready to pick.

Getting to pick and eat veggies straight from the plant.

Seeing a project through from start to finish.

Having responsibilities for certain plants - gives her a feeling of ownership and empowerment.

I plan to document my journey on my Facebook page - Beyond baby led Weaning. I will be documenting the ups AND the downs. I'm excited by this new project, and I encourage you to dig your hands in a little bit of soil, even if you only have space for a pot of herbs. You will be surprised by the feeling of achievement and satisfaction gardening brings. April is the perfect time for planting seedlings if you haven't already.

Do your want to grow with your kids too? Do you already? What are your plans this summer? I would love to hear from you.

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