Working Mom Attempts The Impossible

Recently I got my hands on a book called The All New Square Foot Gardening Method by Mel Bartholomew. So yes, this is a post about gardening. But wait..before I lose my non-gardening friends out there hang on because this gets really interesting.

About one month ago I thought myself a serial plant killer. However after recently buying vegetables I decided to give growing them myself serious consideration. I spend about $30-40 week on veggies my family eats regularly. After a bit of research, I found Mr. Bartholomew’s book which makes gardening accessible to the busiest among us. Even mom’s who are out of the house most of day.

That’s what in it for me. But there is so much more to this gardening method connecting us all, like ending world hunger. Mel has traveled the world to share his knowledge. Along the way, he learned (the hard way) that ending world hunger starts with mothers:

When we go into a 3rd world country, we don’t approach the government, the humanitarian organizations, the mayor and town leaders, or even the men and fathers in the village.  We have given up on all of them. We go directly to the women of the village and ask them, “As a mother, would you like to improve the nutrition of your children, so they become healthier, happier, grow up stronger, and be disease resistant?”  The obvious answer, of course, is, “Yes, yes, yes, I will do anything for my children.”

I could have told him that because I see there and even in the U.S. the ridiculous political and economic blocks to feeding children. Though we are much better off, our dependency on an industrialize food system makes us vulnerable to a situation of hunger like many in 3rd World countries.  As a mom, I worry about a lack of self-sustainability should our integrated food system fail. I want to tell every woman with a child out there about this gardening system so more can gain control over their children’s nutrition and family finances. With most women in the workforce in the U.S. I believe the best way to gain some control is with square foot gardening.

We built the garden over the Memorial Day weekend and I find myself constantly poking around there thinking I need to do more. But so far, I mostly plan, admire and water here and there. Here is a low-budget film detailing my adventure into the new world of gardening. I am continually going to update my blog and YouTube with my progress because if I can do this anyone can.

To learn more about this smart gardening method check out Mel’s blog here. Be sure to Google “Square Foot Garden” for information on this growing gardening trend.