Planting a Garden the Easy Way
Gardening didn’t start off as “my thing”. It was something I picked up after years and years of watching my mom, stealing her hard earned strawberries, and following behind her with little gloves and a trowel in hand. As I grew up and moved out on my own, I started to miss those hours with her. It never dawned on me at the time that it was anything other than a chore, but now? Now I realize it was and continues to be one of her greatest outlets and joys. And every year it has become a greater joy of mine.
Each year, about March, I get really excited about the future prospects of gardening and start thinking about what herbs and veggies I will be putting in the containers lining my balcony. Being in an apartment I have to be economical and plan carefully. And because I’m one of the most impatient people you may ever meet, starting my own plants can also prove challenging. Burpee Home and Garden plants comes to the rescue with plant starts in every variety imaginable, from heirlooms, to hybrids, to sun-loving tomatoes, to cool weather tolerant basil – it was all there.
My favorite herbs for the year include thyme and basil. I got myself Lemon Thyme and Nufar Basil from Burpee Home Gardens. They are so versatile in my kitchen, providing so many new and fresh aromas. The Lemon Thyme plant grows up to 15 inches. Its rich, lemon-scented leaves are good fresh or dried in salads, soups, stews, sauces, and meat or fish dishes. The Nufar Basil plant grows up to 30 inches. It is a sweet Genovese type that produces the most flavor-packed leaves ever. This high-yielding plant has big, dark green, textured leaves that are great for pesto, tomato dishes, salads and more. Count on season-long performance against a wide range of Fusarium wilts.
And since this is the first year I have a south facing balcony, I picked up a few extra vegetables that would require a little added sunlight.
As soon as I had my plants picked out, I set about planting them in my containers, loosening up the roots, just like my mom had taught me and tucking the plants in to their new home. So far, they’re thriving. All of them.
And just like that, gardening came full circle, another season, another experience, and another chance to connect with the dirt and realizing what my mom already knew – being in the garden is a wonderful way to spend the day. Do you garden? What does it mean to you? Leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win $100 American Express gift card to get started on your own dreamy garden! So start gardening now by visiting Burpee Home Gardens and find a store near you!
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the [email protected] email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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I love growing herbs. It is Wonderful to have fresh picked herbs on hand to use. You get spoiled quick!
we finally have a yard and have decided to COVER it with tomato plants! pots, two raised beds, and lots of nooks and crannies are filled with green now and i’m so excited. our fingers are crossed that we actually get some fruit! 🙂
I love to be in the garden and to reconnect with nature I find it so relaxing.
Gardening can be a way to reconnect with the Earth. I find it relaxing.
Yes, I garden. It means having fresh fruit and veggies for my family and less shopping trips.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/598285058533945345
I like to garden, but this year I haven’t planted any veggies yet!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/598314764691836928
Gardening means being a part of the seasons and bringing life and beauty from the earth. It is so very satisfying to be another in a long line of gardeners and to know they felt the same way I do.
What gardening means to me is that I can grow healthy vegetables that my family likes to eat and I know that I have grown veges that taste delicious!
Tweet entry
https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/598500896666845184
I really do love to garden. It’s nice to know where your food comes from! We’ve had a lot going on lately so I only have a flower garden right now. Lots of fruits and veggies are in my future once things get back on track.
Gardening means the freshest food for my family and guests as possible! It also means LIFE! I love seeing God’s creation bloom. I have been dreaming of starting an herb garden – This could be my chance! 🙂
tweeted! https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/complete?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhomemadehome.com%2F2015%2F05%2Fplanting-a-garden-the-easy-way.html&text=Planting%20a%20Garden%20the%20Easy%20Way%20-%20Country%20Cleaver%3A&latest_status_id=598519857982906368&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fhomemadehome.com%2F2015%2F05%2Fplanting-a-garden-the-easy-way.html&via=CountryCleaver&tw_p=tweetbutton
I’m a novice gardener who learned from my mom and grandmother. I’ve always been an indoor & patio plant person UNTIL I married and got a yard! Every day I say I need MORE land. It’s become my obsession.
https://twitter.com/Tribechic/status/598541074412511232
Juls
@Tribechic
I’d love to win the giftcard from @CountryCleaver to further fill my gardening obsession! #Sweepstakesentry!
We like to grow some vegetables like tomatoes and different herbs. It’s a fun way to connect with nature and have fresh ingredients right in my backyard.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/598541749896654848
We just moved into our first apartment and I am already dreaming up the little vertical wall garden on our balcony! Lovely post!
Yes, I love to garden, it’s good for everyone involved, and the patience totally pays off.
tweet- https://twitter.com/groogruxking40/status/598598152338296832
I enjoy gardening. I can spend the entire day out there pulling weeds, moving or dividing plants etc. It’s relaxing.
I don’t mind gardening in small quantities. I like our herb garden, and had fresh basil with dinner tonight which was really nice, but the bugs biting me and the dirt under my nails wears on me quickly!
I love planting vegetables and fruits. That way all my hard work is made into a delicious dish to enjoy with my friends and family. Thank you!
I love gardening. It is one great way to enjoy and appreciate the nature and food with kids.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/598688611572187138
I love to garden! It is one of my biggest stress relievers. To me gardening means the beginning of new life.
https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/598887810901233664
I love growing flowers and watching them get bigger each week!
I love gardening. It means providing fresh fruits and veggies for my family
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/599039130404659200
We have a small garden. My favorite item from our garden is our tomatoes. They taste so much better than stoe bought!
I don’t garden, but both my parents do, and I love that.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
Yes, my husband I have a vegetable garden, tomatoes, cucumbers and various peppers.
I do some small gardening: zucchini, tomatoes, and herbs. It means providing for our family and having the freshest food!
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/600270576213712897
gardening is my favorite hobby! i love being able to grow my own food, and make my yard beautiful!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/600333242076700672
Gardening means having fresh vegetables on hand!
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/600692380434563072
We love to grow a vegetable garden. It is very relaxing to me.
I do garden, I have fpr years and years. I grow a lot of herbs and flowers though I abandoned tomatoes as too much trouble. I’m a peaceful gardener!
I planted a tweet too (ha!): https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/600833126915387392
I love to garden. It’s magical to me that you can plant a little seed and watch it grow into so much food!
tweeted – https://twitter.com/dmarie824/status/600848193367117824
What i love most about gardening is i get to grow my own fresh veggies and fruits without having to buy them at the stores, it feels so rewarding cooking with the stuff you grew yourself.
My tweet: https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/601667009227595776
I don’t have a garden this year, but our friends share lots of tomatoes and zucchini!
I love having a garden so I can have fresh produce all summer long and canned goods all winter!
Shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dandidaffyhill/status/603021234381533184
Gardening has many meanings for me. I believe it’s am important life skill that taps into our primal knowledge of the earth. Digging around in the dirt is also good for your immune system! And I love the independence it brings. Growing your own vegetables makes me feel quite accomplished!
Tweet!
https://twitter.com/claregravolet/status/603686440678072320
I love gardening with my daughter. She loves flowers!
Yes. My youngest son and I garden together. To me, it’s time spent with my son with a similar interest and of course enjoys fresh and delicious veggies. Thanks so much.
Aside from offering a safe haven from the ubiquitous storm of food safety issues, gardening provides other rewards, some of them deeply emotional. Although my family is full of gardeners, I haven’t been bitten by that particular bug.
https://twitter.com/Attea2d/status/606123682881224705
I grow shade loving flowers in my yard. Not enough sun for veggies, unfortunately.
Tweet https://twitter.com/clc408/status/606140381831557120
I do garden! It’s tough with a baby but I love the feeling of being able to grow food for my family.
I love having fresh fruits and veggies to eat whenever we want! Best part is I know how they are grown! We only have rosemary growing right now, but we are moving and I hope to plant onions, squash, watermelons and much more next year !
I love gardening…it makes me feel very relaxed and like I accomplished something.
https://twitter.com/davisesq212/status/606198778358591488
Yes, I garden. To me, it means I can be a little more self-sufficient.
means happiness growing something from a seed
tvollowitz at aol dot com
We grow herbs.
i do some gardening, just to try to keep my yard looking neat
I have always found gardening therapeutic. I love growing flowers, but I just started a fruit and vegetable garden not too long ago. I eventually want to start an herbal garden (i.e. cilantro, basil, thyme, mint, etc.). 🙂
I like growing flowers and watching them bloom.
[email protected]
I have gardened and always enjoy it very much because I was raised by my grandparents who put lots of love into gardening but this year I am renting a house and I am currently without a garden. Maybe next year.
We finally have a yard and have decided to COVER it with tomato plants! pots, two raised beds, and lots of nooks and crannies are filled with green now and i’m so excited. Our fingers are crossed that we actually get some fruit!
Gardening means relaxation and knowing that I am growing food for my family brings me joy!
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/607333564342927360
I don’t enjoy it that much, but my husbands always wants to.
I love to garden it’s therapuetic.
Tweeted https://twitter.com/Lindiac/status/607671451634790400
I don’t garden, myself, but I love seeing other peoples gardens! Some people really have a talent for growing pretty and delicious food. It’s really fun to see 🙂
Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/607753901727612929
I plan to start a garden this summer to help save some money on vegetables, fruits and herbs. Thank you for the giveaway!
I tweeted–https://mobile.twitter.com/DonnaJacoby2014/status/608061611597791233
I don’t currently grow a garden but I’ve always romanced the idea. The one thing that appeals to me about gardening is that it seems therapeutic.
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/sazzyfrazzy/status/608129982687084545
sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com
I have spent the last two springs/summers digging and finally have enough space to plant everything I’d like to.
I currently do not garden but we recently moved and I want to learn how.
tweeted https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/608361783494111233
Yes, I garden, I want to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and oregano.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/608656158333775872
I love to garden and it has always been a therapeutic experience for me. The last couple months have been emotionally and professionally challenging for me and spending time in the garden has helped me to relax and enjoy the beauty.
basil, lavender and thyme are my favorites!
Gardening is a form of meditation for me
My family gardens, but I don’t like to get dirty so I don’t. My husband finds weeding soothing and relaxing.
I like to garden and watch my plants grow.
We garden and do it to feed our family healthy foods, save money and teach the kids. We like to can tomatoes to use in the winter for pizza sauce and pasta sauce.
I posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/610848900728143872.
Gardening to me means clean living!
tweet
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/611913168969953280
Gardening an excellent way to fight stress and attention fatigue!
I have started to do more and more the last 10 years. Love garden fairs and garden walks and seeing my own plants grow
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/rosannepm/status/612442597638991872
Gardening is a relaxing pastime.
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/612535599132725248
i used to garden
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/612695622949302272
It means fresh fruit and vegetables.
I don’t garden but my mother used to love to.
I love gardening! To me, it means being about the enjoy the outdoors and provide my family with tons of fresh veggies like cucumbers, beans, peas and carrots and so much more!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/613180310180642816
We have a small garden but we try to have a variety of vegetables. There is nothing better than fresh, I mean REALLY fresh produce.
I use to love to work in my gardens but not so much anymore after getting bit by a tick and getting lyme disease
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/613475535323271168
We plant tomatoes every year — I love them on summer salads!! Sometimes we get to plant more than that, like zucchini, but we only get the tomatoes this year. 🙂
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/pixel_berry_pie/status/613529797524869120
We have a small veggie garden and some flowers for decoration. Gardening is a way for me to relax!
Growing up my parents always had a huge garden. I live in an apt. now and I still enjoy growing some tomatoes in a container. I find taking care of the plants is enjoyable.
Gardening to me means providing fresh ingredients to my family.
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/614218234749792256
i like to garden; it means life, being able to grow my own food and have some control over my life and have a beautiful place to live.
my tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/614401410436730880
my husband does the gardening! We like growing tomatoes and potatoes in our garden
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/614612126649286657
I do garden, I just love being outside and in the dirt!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/614656216527187969
I enjoy it with my children and when it’s not almost or over 100 degrees, but we get pleasure of growing some of the food we put on our tablet
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/614665004613267456
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I grow shrubs and flowers because I want to add beauty to my yard
https://twitter.com/c5519/status/614671593256562688
I love gardening, not just for the healthy food options but also for the therapy it provides. But this year I have my Dad living with me post-op and since I knew he would take up a LOT of my time we scaled wayyyyyy back on our planting.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/tinawoo21/status/614674237496823808
I live in an apartment so I do not garden but wish I could so I know no harmful chemicals are going on my veggies.
I help my Mom with her garden. I love that you know where your food has been and what has been done to it to grow it!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/614973196752826368
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/615065162731683840
To me, gardening means conservation and traditionalism. I love boosting my budget with my harvest ….which I know is healthy and chemical free.
https://twitter.com/rusthawk/status/615193478994079745
I love gardening… it is relaxing and provides me fresh vegetables !
My tweet https://twitter.com/AurelieRed/status/615218316966125569
we haven’t grown our own in years now, everyone’s always too busy
I like to grow tomatoes.
I would love to grow fresh vegetables and herbs.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/615322476080271360
I do like watching plants grow. It is something I learned from my Grandma Annie who had the most wonderful gardens.
I love caring for my garden and watching my veggies and herbs grow slowly. My container garden is on our patio and I can actually see the difference from morning to night and visa versa.
https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/615579588446584832
Yes, I adore gardening.
Yes, I love to garden because I want to give my family the healthiest veggies possible.
https://twitter.com/Stephanie64030/status/615641202340139020
I do not garden. We don’t really have the room for it and I kill all plants. We have grown tomatoes before but my hubby did that.
I do garden and love that I can go out and pick my salad for dinner. I love having fresh veggies and fruits.
I don’t have the space outdoors for a garden, but I did attempt an herb garden this spring – and so far, it is struggling!
I can’t garden because I share a yard but my mom does.
Gardening allows me to feel the earth and slow the pace of my day down . It has a very calming influence even though there is much planning and work involved.
I wish to grow herbs
https://twitter.com/momsfocus/status/615822206841581568
yes, I garden, for both food and flowers/plants. to me it is all about empowerment and leaving things better than how you found them.
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/615919291255386112
I love having fresh herbs. I have oregano and sage and mint in my little garden.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/615945787197919232
#SweepstakesEntry
:
I only started growing a garden within the last few years, I enjoy having fresh tomatoes
KC
my #SweepstakesEntry tweet: https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/615953981420998656
KC
I garden and it means a lot to me to have fresh veggies
https://twitter.com/ardy22/status/615974076037906432
I usually do a decent amount of gardening but this year I haven’t done much since I’m pregnant.
Gardening means healthy and yummy food for myself and my loved ones, I love that.
I have a small raised bed and container garden that I love – I know what is in the food we raise ourselves.
Tweeted https://twitter.com/dddiva/status/615996438665785345
Gardening for me means an opportunity to interact and provide for the community
tweeted https://twitter.com/iamdadtastic/status/616008428473860096
I garden with flowers because of the rules in my town-homes.
I publicly Tweeted this giveaway: https://twitter.com/versatileer/status/616009434607714304
I love to garden because I find it relaxing and rewarding!
I used to garden but after moving to a new house I unfortunately do not have the room to garden. 🙁
Gardening means providing for my family in a way that teaches the kids where food comes from and saves money in my pocket!
This spring I moved to a new place and finally had the chance to make a small balcony garden. I didn’t have enough time for serious projects, that’s why I decided to start with a simple herb garden. I planted parsley, dill, basil, thyme, rosemary and sage. For next year I’m planning to add some greens and vegetables and finally to get my dreamed lavender shrub. Wish me luck!