BKYD Life

Gather. Create. Grow.

grow

Friday 5

We are starting a new feature…The Friday 5. You won’t find it every Friday, just once a month on the last Friday we will give you something to think about on, well, a Friday.

Here’s our first one. 5 things that you can grow in your backyard, or any outdoor space really.

1. Fruits and Vegetables

This comes as no surprise if you have been here for a bit. Want to read about the costs of a garden? You can do that here. Bottom line is that once your garden is established the costs are minimal and the savings you see at the grocery store will be maximized. But most of all, gardening is good for the soul ~ and that is priceless.

2. Flowers

While fruits and vegetables are good for the body, flowers will put a smile on your face. Having a cutting garden to brighten up the inside of your home is so worthwhile. If you have room in your backyard, I can’t emphasize enough that having both a vegetable garden and a space to grow flowers is something that will bring you days, weeks and maybe months of joy. They also attract hummingbirds and butterflies ~ and if they don’t bring a smile to your face, then I don’t know what will!

3. Animals

Clover

My first thought is that my dog loves to run and play in the backyard. We really do consider her a member of the family. She also loves to go on walks around the neighborhood and say “hi” to her friends. But maybe you have the space and are zoned for other animals. Maybe you have chickens, goats, donkeys? Many people would consider spending time outside with animals as a great stress release. Growing or raising animals is fantastic way to help children learn responsibility and compassion for others. What I know for sure is that when I am outside with my dog, Clover, I am completely present ~and that’s a good thing!

4. Relationship with Your Family and Friends

Do you love to entertain? When the weather is right, hosting a gathering of family and friends in the backyard is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. I remember when I was younger, Sunday’s my family spent the day together at my grandparents house. Grandma and Grandpa had a swimming pool and my brother, cousin’s and myself would spend summer Sunday afternoons in the pool. The adults would tell us “Your lips are turning blue, get out for a little bit.” Of course, we didn’t want to get out. We loved to splash and have swimming races. Creating those memories and those bonds are what summer’s in the backyard are all about ~ oh, and ice cream, too!

5. Relationship with Yourself

This might be the most important thing you can grow in the backyard. Taking time to get quiet and really check in with yourself is a great backyard or outdoor activity. Whether go for a walk or even a hike, get your hands dirty in your garden or pots on the patio, or sit on a lounge chair with or without a book we all need time to breathe deep. When we take time for ourselves, we end up as better people for our loved ones and our community. We can envision our dreams and know our next steps to get there. Let the sunshine on your face, take a deep breathe and know you are worth knowing ~ the birds are singing your song!

Happy Friday, enjoy the weekend in the fresh air!

Let’s Talk Compost

I grew up in my Italian grandmother’s tiny kitchen. Out of that small space she would regularly create incredible meals for 40+ guests. It all seemed so natural. You really don’t need a lot of space, if you use it well.

One of the lessons I learned from my grandmother in that tiny space was to use a little bit of it for a compost bin. The laundry room was right next to the kitchen so grandma would keep a bin on the dryer and put the food scraps in it. Once it was full, she would transfer it outside.

What to Compost

Items you can compost from your kitchen include ~

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Eggshells
  • Coffee grounds and filters
  • Tea bags
  • Nut shells

Other common household items you can compost include ~

  • Shredded newspaper
  • Cardboard
  • Paper
  • Yard trimmings
  • Grass clippings
  • Houseplants
  • Leaves
  • Fireplace ashes
Compost Pile

Why to Compost

There are three main reasons to compost~

  • To create fertile soil
    • Composting enriches the soil and helps retain moisture which will suppress plant diseases and pests.
    • It also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
  • To close the loop (and give back to the earth that which was taken from it)
    • Composting encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material.
  • To work less
    • Composting is natural. When trees drop their leaves in the fall it is to isolate the roots. When we compost, we are following in Mother Natures example.

How to Compost in your Backyard

  • Select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin. When your kitchen bin is full, transfer the contents to the outside bin.
  • Your compost pile should have an equal amount of greens to browns. Greens includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds. Browns are materials such as dead leaves and twigs or small branches.
  • Keep everything moist, it will break down faster than if it stays dry.
  • Turn the contents of your bin or pile over regularly.
  • Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile and bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.
  • When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.

In the Phoenix Metro area, the city will provide you with a compost bin for a nominal fee. You can read more about it here. Don’t live in Phoenix? Search your cities website for composting resources.

If you have a garden, do you compost? You should. Your garden will thank you ~ literally thank you with a much better crop!

Eating Healthy on a Budget

We all know that healthy eating includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. But did you know you can do it AND stay on budget? Here are a couple tips to accomplish your health and budget goals.

  • Plan your meals for the week and then prep them ~ you are more likely to follow your plan when you have reduced the daily preparation time
  • Shop for seasonal produce ~ the prices are lower when an item is in season
  • Review the sales section in your local newspaper for grocery store ads and shop the produce on sale
  • Start a garden ~ you can easily grow some of your produce for your weekly meal plan

Let’s take a closer look at that last idea. Many vegetables for a simple salad are easy to grow in a small amount of land or in pots on a balcony.

Lettuce

Lettuce is not only the base for many salads, it grows quickly and can be harvested easily. You can simply snip the tops of the plants or pick leaves as needed. Lettuce takes up very little space. It can even be grown in containers, perhaps accompanied by flowers or tucked under taller plants. You can even plant the seeds in partly shady areas.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are, possibly, the most popular vegetable for any size garden. You can grow tomatoes in hanging baskets or other containers as long as they get lots of sun and have support for their stalks. Starter plants from a garden center, your local hardware store or a nursery are the easiest to grow. I even saw some on my latest trip to the grocery store. You can get both tomatoes and tomato plants at Whole Foods, who knew?

Pro tip ~ If you plant basil next to the tomato plants, you’ll naturally repel pests and even improve the flavor of the tomatoes—and, luckily enough, like other herbs, basil is simple to grow as well. On top of that, herbs will increase the flavor in your salad. And when your salad is full of flavor you will enjoy it even more. You will then want to eat more salads, so this is a bonus no matter how you chop it!

Kelly Neil Photo

Cucumbers

I love the crunch of cucumbers in a salad. Cucumbers like sunlight and warm temperatures, as well as support for climbing. Thanks to their vertical growth, cucumbers do well in containers and with a little water they grow almost like weeds. You’ll probably have enough cucumbers to donate to your neighbors.

Dim Hou Photo

Radishes

Radishes are a nice addition to a salad. But you can also enjoy them as appetizers, snacks and side dishes. Even though not everyone loves them, once you see how easy they are to grow, you might add them to your garden. They take just 20 days to reach full size! 

Other Easily Grown Vegetables

Carrots are pretty easy to grow. The only thing about carrots is they might not grow very large, especially if you have rocky soil. Deep, well-drained soil is preferable—a raised bed is a good idea. Nevertheless, carrots are simple and fun to grow (your kids might even want to help). They tolerate light shade too, although, like most plants, they prefer full sun.

Mor Shani Photo

All sorts of green beans, from snap beans (or string beans) to shell or whole beans are ideal for home gardens. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from, and snapping beans to harvest them is kind of entertaining. I’ve had better luck with the vine type compared to the self-support bush types of snap peas, but the bush types require less space. Both types grow easily from seeds. Most beans prefer full sun and well-drained soil.

Like beans and cucumbers, zucchini plants are prolific, whether they are grown in containers or directly in mounded soil. Like beans and radishes, they grow easily from seeds. They need good moisture, though, and prefer warm soil, so it’s best to sow seeds later in the warm season (a good plant for gardening procrastinators!).

Jocelyn Fletcher Photo

Pumpkins are relatively easy to grow and are great to have around during the autumn season. As you probably know from baking and carving, there are different types of pumpkins and some are simpler to grow than others.

Now you have some easy to grow vegetables to assist with your healthy eating on a budget journey. And, remember if you have children they can help in the garden and that can promote healthy eating as well.

Gather. Create. Grow.

Gather. Create. Grow. 3 simple words. Each with multiple meanings. . .

People enjoying a dinner party in a backyard

You can gather supplies; gather items to use in the garden; gather meats and vegetables to cook on the grill; gather pool toys; gather chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers for S’mores around the fire pit.

You can gather your thoughts in a meditation garden.

We can gather together in community.

Gather is a verb that means to bring together into one place. The most important word in that definition is ‘together’! Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” And, she was right.

Gather (together) seems so simple, yet so powerful.

Create a calm space.

Create art.

Create a place to play, to imagine, to use your imagination.

Create a place to gather, to make memories, to tell stories.

Create, another verb, is to do something creative or constructive. Constructive is doing something to improve or better the place or situation. So when we create, we are doing something to make things better.

Create happiness is the ultimate creative endeavor.

Plants grow bigger.

Children grow up.

Relationships grow deeper.

We grow through sharing our stories and we grow though understanding. The best way to grow is by listening to each other. Listen, not to respond, but to understand.

You may have guessed ~ grow is also a verb. It means to increase in size or substance.

“Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.” a quote by Khalil Gibran

Gather. Create. Grow. Right in your own backyard, without boundaries or fences to keep you from gathering with all your community, create a shared understanding, and grow together.

I would love to know how do you ~ Gather. Create. Grow. Share your backyard life in the comments below, sign up for our newsletter and connect with us on social media. Everyone can use some new ideas for all the things BKYD Life can do!