The Art Of Gardening
Author: Julianna Cooper, Challenge America Music Therapist
I don’t know about you, but in the spirit of our monthly CAVARTS theme “May Flowers,” I’ve been incredibly inspired to dig into nature to create, cultivate, and grow! 🌱
Gardening is such an incredible art form that reaps amazing benefits - stress relief, exercise, mood elevation, improved mindfulness - the list goes on! Whether you’d like to plant a few herbs or vegetables to contribute to your kitchen, press into your artistic side through designing a beautiful landscape, or bring a bit of color into your home through a patch of cut flowers, the opportunities for creativity in gardening are endless.
Below, we’re including a few tips for beginning a garden! 🪴
Start small
It's so easy to get overzealous, starting with a huge plot and a large number of plants. However, we suggest that you start small - a few plants at a time. The larger the garden, the more work and the more stress… a garden can become overwhelming quite quickly without the time or resources to care for it properly. Just remember: you can always add more!Build a network
Find other folks who are interested in gardening near you! Some communities even have local or community gardens, where people can plant and harvest freely in a shared space. Even if your community doesn’t have something like this, it is amazing to learn from each others’ successes and mistakes. CAVARTS is a wonderful resource to do just that - feel free to drop a comment in the space below this post to share about your interest in gardening, to connect with other gardening CAVARTists!Research your climate
Make sure you find and invest in plants that grow well in your climate or hardiness zone. Research local master gardeners in your area, or contact your county’s agricultural resource office to get tips on what plants thrive in your area. This improves your chances of success! To find your hardiness zone, click HERE and enter your zip code into the box!
Need some inspiration?
Check out THIS POST from the Farmer’s Almanac for 20 garden layout ideas (with photos!) to get the creativity flowing 🥕🧺🌻🌿
Ready to take your gardening skills to the next level? Check out these organizations:
Heroic Gardens - an organization that helps Veterans experience the healing power of nature
Growing Healthy Veterans - an organization that engages Veterans and Active Duty Military in sustainable agricultural practices to enhance their physical and mental health and overall wellness while exposing them to multiple opportunities to connect with their communities.
Want to connect with other Veterans who believe in the positive impact of plants?
Check out Heroic Gardens, an amazing organization that helps Veterans experience the healing power of nature through in-person and monthly virtual classes!
