This blog is going to be a bit personal, so if you are not up for it, just skip and get on to your other things to get done.

The harvest of my little garden is happening right now. In fact, I wish I was outside with my bucket, straw hat and gloves weeding, picking the peppers and tomatoes and being continually impressed with nature. Not that I don’t enjoy you and writing for you, but I am in complete AWE of how a seed can become food or a flower.

When I moved to TN from the Boston area 15+ years ago, it was to find a piece of property, build a small home, live a sustainable life, continue growing in master gardening and permaculture and to invite my clients to come stay with me on my property for our VIP time together.

But…

I live in a small rental a bit south of Nashville near my little families and continue to look for the perfect spot for my home and permaculture dream.

My landlord is a good guy and said I can pretty much do anything with the gardening and growing as long as I don’t leave big holes. So I made all of my gardening portable. Straw and hay bales for veggies. Cinder block raised beds. Cattle panels for vertical growing. MANY 5 gallon containers for herbs, veggies, tomatoes, beans etc. I also got farm feeding containers and starting using them for raised beds. I have learned so much of what I want and what I don’t want when I get to my land…and I will get there…count on it.

The most interesting and rewarding part of my gardening is the observing what grows. You plant a seed – be kind and give it what it needs – and it grows. Carrots are tiny seeds and hard to plant because they are so tiny. Yet they grow into a beautiful orange carrot with a big fluffy top. Green beans act like they can grow in your pockets if you don’t get them in the dirt fast enough. Cucumbers can grow up, down, sideways and still produce many many cukes for you.

One of my favorite veggie to grow is the sweet potato. I plant them in hay and straw bales and off they go. The leaves they produce can scoot along the ground or up a vertical planter. And when you want to harvest them, you just dig into the bale and there they are. Huge. Tasty. Rewarding – like you had anything to do with they growing, but are proud anyway. My son in law loves them and I make my 14.5 year old puppy her food and use them all year long.

“So Natalie, what is the point?”

What have you planted for you that brings you such joy and rewards as gardening does for me? I even like the weeding, by the way.

This year is a year of indicated restrictions. But your brilliant and clever mind can take you anywhere and feed you 24/7.

I am lucky to have my little house and yard. I count my blessings each day with being able to wander and weed in this little area.

However, I do not discount the work I have put in to provide these rewards for me, my family, my neighbors …and you.

Allow me to encourage you to plant something, watch it grow and feel the incredible joy from taking an idea from seed to fruition. It will reduce your stress; anxiety; worry and you will be rewarded by your own self.

May I help you grow?

To Your Success,

P.S. The Virtual VIPs that I am doing with terrific people like you are helping you move from blocked to success; from anxious to relieved. Let’s do this together. Let’s VIP together. The rewards of growing you and committing to you and feeling good cannot be underestimated. Come VIP with me.