Marching into Spring
I know, I know. Ive been saying spring is coming for weeks now, but it’s March 1, temps will be in the 50s (maybe even 60s!) this week and the sun will be shining. That makes me feel confident in the fact that spring is, in fact, swiftly arriving in Boise.
I installed these planters for a client on a sunny day this week, and I can’t wait to watch them fill in with plants from the seeds we sowed.
It’s been a while since most of us played in the dirt with any regularity. To avoid soreness and burnout, I’m starting this spring with a challenge: Spend five minutes in your garden every day this month.
I just finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and in his book, he talks a lot about tiny changes and their compound effects. He says that in order to build a habit that sticks, we have to practice showing up with regularity, and just counting our “showing up” as the win. I’m going to challenge you this month to show up in your garden for five minutes every day this month.
Here are five ways you can spend five minutes in your garden each day:
Step into the garden for five minutes and simply breathe. Set a timer, take deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Doing this first thing in the morning will set the tone for your day, or doing it at the end of your work day will help you wind down.
Drink your morning coffee or afternoon kombucha in the garden instead of in the kitchen. Just sitting in a chair near my raised beds, not even touching a thing in my garden, I feel revived. By doing this every day, you’ll be able to see the micro-changes first hand.
Watering. I can’t tell you how many people tell me how much they enjoy hand-watering their garden. This is such a simple thing you can do with five minutes, and during dry stretches in spring, it can come in handy.
Tidy Timer. This is something I do all the time in my kitchen when I’m feeling overwhelmed by how messy my house is. I set a timer for five minutes and tidy up as much as I can in that time. It always surprises me how much I can get done in a short amount of time, and I think this translates well to the garden. If you’re overwhelmed by cleaning up your garden space, set a timer and see what you can do.
Planting seeds in the garden each day. A lot of my clients want to get better at succession planting, which is the practice of extending the harvest by staggering planting. A great way to practice succession planting is to plant a few seeds each day. Planting seeds takes such little time that it can easily be done in five minutes.
When you spend your five minutes in the garden, take a picture on your phone and put it in a folder labeled March 2021. You’ll love watching that folder grow, and if you want to post your photos, remember to tag me. Five minutes, we all have that, and I promise, it’s going to improve your relationship with your garden, and even your relationship with yourself and the people around you.
If you want to learn more about what to plant and when to plant it each month, you should join the Boise Kitchen Garden Club. This group of gardeners receives a monthly e-book of what to plant and when, as well as a weekly email with my garden to-do list and a private Facebook group where they can ask me questions at any point. Click the button below to learn more and join the club.