How Gardening Saved My Life

Whenever I'm writing about how I got my start in gardening, I always harken back to flowering gardening with my mom as young girl.

Then I fast forward to my first flower garden on my apartment balcony in 2000 and talk about my first vegetable garden I grew at our first house in Memphis, TN in 2009 (we had just gotten married that year).

But for the life of me, I cannot figure out what prompted me to start a vegetable garden, because it's not something that was ever a part of my life before.

I remember sitting on our couch in our first home in Memphis looking through a Seed Saver's Exchange catalog and I was completely enamored with all the heirloom varieties this company offered.

But I always wonder how in the world I heard about them and what inspired me to research heirloom varieties in the first place.

In case you're wondering, heirloom seeds are from a plant that has been passed from one generation to another and are carefully grown and saved.

AND EALIER THIS WEEK IT HIT ME.....

It Was My Quest to Be Healthier...

It was my quest to be healthier (I'm a nutritionist after all) that sparked my interest in growing my own food!

I've spent practically my whole life studying nutrition (no joke!) and have always been on a quest to eat healthier and be healthier overall.

When I started my first vegetable garden back in 2009, GMO foods were starting to get some bad press and, coincidentally, the term "organic" was just starting to get more attention.

Naturally, I took note of this and started exploring the concept of growing my own food in order to avoid the pesticide-ridden foods at that grocery store AND to have more control over the varieties of foods we ate.

As mentioned above, I had always gardened with my mom, but we only grew flowers. Until that point, I had never tried my hand at growing actual food.

But the idea intrigued me and I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE with the all the stories behind the heirloom seeds I was researching.

I finally compiled my list of seeds I wanted to grow and ordered about 20-30 seed packets from Seed Saver's Exchange.

AND THAT IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, MY FRIEND... My life took a huge turn at that point and a passion was born!

And truthfully, gardening saved my life!

That's a big statement to make, but when I look back at what was happening in my life at the time, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that gardening was my saving grace (one of them!)

How Gardening Affects Your Health

When I'm coaching a client, no matter their health issue, there are a couple of lifestyle items I ALWAYS address - food and activity.

1. YOU EAT BETTER

Clearly, as a nutritionist, I am concerned about the food my client eats. And, generally speaking, foods that one would grow in a garden tend to take a back seat on most people's plates.

We all know we should be eating more vegetables, right? But at the same time, we all struggle to eat them as much as we should.

Even vegetarians struggle to eat enough vegetables!

So, how do we get more fruits and vegetables in our diets??

Well, it's a loaded question that I'm not going to unpack here, BUT a huge way to change this is to, you guessed it, GROW YOUR OWN FOOD AND EAT IT!

Nine times out of ten, when you grow your own food by the sweat of your brow, you will actually EAT what you've grown.

When YOU have put the hard work in, then you sure as heck aren't going to let that food go to waste! (Yet how often do those grocery store greens waste away in the drawer of your fridge?)

Additionally, homegrown produce TASTES SO MUCH BETTER and it lasts a heck of a lot longer than store bought produce! Why? Because it's fresher! There's no travel time, other than from your garden to your plate!

Did you know that "fresh" produce is picked when it's not mature and then is shipped for days at a time before it arrives at your store? It's crazy when you actually stop and think about it!

2. YOU'RE MORE ACTIVE

The other subject I typically address with clients is activity and specifically, outdoor activity.

For women especially, being outdoors does wonders for your health and hormones!

Getting some sunshine on your eyeballs and fresh air in your lungs first thing in the morning can actually help regulate your circadian rhythms.

THIS RIGHT HERE 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 can help improve your sleep, your mood, your weight, and your memory!

Yes, seriously, being outside, or even better --> being active outside can seriously improve your overall health! 🌞🌱👀

And what is one thing that you can do right now to improve the way you eat and how much time you spend outdoors??????

GARDENING!

Gardening has seriously changed my life!

I have never been healthier and happier then when I'm in my garden, getting my hands dirty, soaking in the sunshine, breathing the fresh air, and eating all these amazing foods that I HAVE GROWN!

And the same goes for your kids, mama!

You Have a Green Thumb, I Promise!

Now, I'm going to assume that if you're reading this blog, you have a general interest in gardening. But you might also have some doubts as to your ability to grow a successful garden.

So, Let me address the most common objections I hear:

I don't have a green thumb
I don't have the time
I don't have the space
I don't like vegetables
I don't know where to start

I can address ALL of these objection with one statement: YES YOU DO!

EVERYONE HAS A GREEN THUMB - it just has to be cultivated. Like everything else in life, you might have to work on it (and I can help you with this). 🌱👍🏻
I DON'T HAVE THE TIME - Yes you do. You can absolutely start with one or two plants on your patio and reap some amazing benefits! It can take less than 10 minutes a day to grow a couple of plants (and I can help you with this). ⏰
I DON'T HAVE THE SPACE - (see above) Yes you do. If you have a sunny window sill or a patio, you can absolutely grow a garden (and I 100% speak from experience here!) You can grow herbs, patio tomatoes, and so much more! 🏡
I DON'T LIKE VEGETABLES - Yes you do, you just haven't eaten a vegetable YOU'VE grown - it's a completely different experience! AND you may need some help learning to cook them (the simpler the better and, oh, I can help you with this.) 🫑🌶🥦🥑🍆🍅
I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START - Yes you do! I've got you... I have an entire website, Facebook group, and YouTube channel devoted to helping people learn to garden! It's my passion! ✅

Don't let these objections keep you from starting a garden!

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated, seriously! It can be as easy as growing a few herbs in pots. In fact, my first vegetable garden was all grown in pots and they did awesome!

IF YOU WANT TO FEEL BETTER, LOOK BETTER, AND EAT BETTER --> START A GARDEN!!

Not sure where to start??? No problem. I got you, remember??

First and foremost, JOIN MY EMAIL LIST!! This is where you will get All. The. Freebies! AND all the notifications about new gardening resources I've either created (free workshops, guides, videos, tours, tutorials, etc.) or resources I've come across that I think my audience & community will enjoy.
Check out The Shop. I will have all my past live workshops here in Video and Audio format for purchase (at a reasonable price, I might add). And all the guidebooks I've created to go with the live workshops are there as well (these are really fun and handy to have on hand!) And I'm ALWAYS RUNNING SALES!
Join the Gardening Forum! I've been running this private Facebook group since 2020 and it's been such a fun endeavor! I post pretty much everything there - videos, tutorials, Q & A, all my resources, discounts, events, etc. This is my "beta group"). Seriously, the Forum is for gardeners of ALL skill levels!
Check out my YouTube Channel. I post all of my Garden VLOGs and Garden Tours here. I LOVE creating these videos, y'all! It's so fun and I love that I'm connecting with other gardeners (and general viewers) outdoors in such a fun space!

JUST GROW SOMETHING! 🌱

If you don't grow a garden outside, grow something indoors - like an herb, a flower, a houseplant or even microgreens. 🌷🪴

It will do you (and your health) good, I promise!

And if you need a little inspiration, check out my Indoor Gardening blogs and videos. They will get you started on the right "garden" path!

I hope this inspires you to go find (and cultivate) YOUR green thumb!

XX Landon