Far from it! It was not very long ago at ALL that I was clueless about even the most basic gardening concepts. One year, my aunt told me that tomatoes will have a bigger root system and grow better if you bury the stem when you transplant… so I buried the whole stem, ALL of it, and was surprised when they didn’t pop out of the soil a few weeks later like blades of grass!
Many of my friends who haven’t heard from me in a while might be surprised to see me writing about gardening or making the videos on my YouTube channel. It was just before the pandemic (you know which one) that I started to get “into” gardening, although I’ve had at least a small garden going every season for the past decade – mainly of crops that failed, or I forgot what I planted. But occasionally, I would grow enough lettuce to enjoy and share with friends, and my interest would be sparked for the next season – and any time I met someone with a twinge of green to their thumb, I would pester them with questions until they found an excuse to get away from me.
So, why am I writing this? And making videos? If I’m not an expert and only recently even attained a ‘novice’ level?
Gardening and urban homesteading, much like most of the domestic arts, is best learned from other people. I have learned so much from others – often in person, but also on great YouTube channels. I’ve learned a lot from books and courses, too, but the lessons that stick the most have been handed over from others’ experiences and demonstrated to me in their gardens or barns. Now it’s my turn. I’m not an expert, but I do have lessons that I have learned. I’ve tried things based on others’ wisdom, and gotten a little of my own from the experience. There’s still so much to learn, and the best way to keep learning is now by sharing knowledge the same way one might share meals at a potluck.
By the way, in case you’re thinking ‘she has some stuff to learn about building a website as well’, I know! This feels remarkably like my grade 7 computer science assignment…. send help!
