Home Instead - Gardening during COVID19 & My top 5 fav garden resources

Building Our Homestead, Recreating Our Lives

There is no question as to whether we're struggling and constantly trying to figure out how to life and keep our family safe.  If you're new here, maybe you don't know but our daughter has Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2J and she's ventilator dependent.  She requires 24/7 help and care.  It is imperative that our family remains safe and healthy because Ellie is considered high risk.

My career as a dietitian is morphing, adapting to a new normal.  I have temporarily been ignoring much of my typical work as a dietitian and I've been focusing on my garden and our home.  By building our homestead, we will be more self sufficient and hopefully more resilient during these uncertain times in a pandemic.  I have been starting seeds, planting seedlings, and growing food for our family.  I have been using Facebook Marketplace to connect with locals and sell the extras to bring in some money in hopes of being able to pay our bills.

I have really enjoyed selling produce and garden goodies.  It's been a wonderful way to connect with people while social distancing and masking up.  Customers have been grateful for my efforts and knowledge.  I've learned through this process that I actually know a lot more about growing food than I thought I did.  People are arriving as customers and leaving as friends and it's such a great feeling.  Instead of just selling a product, I can talk about getting kids excited to grow food and try new things.  I've talked with a mom whose child seems to have sensory struggles that appear to just be picky eating.

When I purchased my seeds, later than planned, I never thought I'd feel so fulfilled as a dietitian.  The thought hadn't crossed my mind that by selling produce and plants that I would get to talk to so many people about food and nutrition struggles and needs.  My heart is really full and I feel like I'm really helping people love fruits and veggies!!!

This was supposed to be a post just to share some resources but in sitting down to gather things, I found myself making connections in my work and hobbies.  Even during a pandemic, life can be good.

My top 5 Go-To Garden Resources This Growing Season

1.  Luke at MI Gardner is really knowledgable and he's local so his growing experience will apply here since I think we're in the same growing zone.

2.  Iowa State University, University Extension has some really awesome guides for planting.  I've been relying heavily on their Planting and Harvesting Times for Garden Vegetables guide.

3.  Plant and Plate has an awesome cheat sheet for square foot gardening.  This document has saved me an insane amount of time.  Honestly, with how much research and time it's saved, it's worth way more than $3.99 (I am not paid to say this, I'm just a fan).

4.  If you need a little more ideas and inspiration, the Plant-A-Gram printables from Williams-Sonoma Agrarian are pretty and helpful, pretty helpful.

5.  The Vegetable Garden website is nicely setup and easy to navigate.  You can plug in your zipcode and figure out what an ideal planting/harvesting schedule is for your growing zone.

To those who have been here to purchase garden goods from me, thank you.  I really appreciate your kindness and allowing me to share all the things with you that make me happy.

Enjoy your garden!  Reach out if you have questions.  Comment below on whether you also love these resources or if you have other awesome resources to share!  Happy planting!