How To Grow It Yourself
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

How To Grow It Yourself

An experiment on effort and self-reliance

6
How To Grow It Yourself
Christopher Hendrix

Earlier this year, something inside of me snapped. I'm a vegetarian (and not always a strict one), and for the longest time I had problems maintaining a consistently healthy diet. Ironically, I was a vegetarian for health reasons, but I was not eating healthy food—one could fairly call me a junk-food vegetarian. I was a special sort of clueless. I kept racking my brain, thinking "Why is it so difficult to eat healthy, vegetarian or otherwise? This shouldn't be as hard as I'm making it. What's the deal?"

I started to look at how we view food. For many people, food is an object of pleasure, something to be enjoyed as often as one wants. For others, food is simply sustenance, a necessarily nourishing daily routine. But do we know where our food comes from? Sure, we all know that fruits and veggies are much better for our cardiovascular health than a 24 oz. porterhouse, but how is all of this stuff grown? Millions upon millions of pounds of leafy greens, potatoes, apples, peppers, etc. How did this splendor make it's way to the Walmart produce section? And more importantly, how long has it been there?

Spring of this year, I'd had it. I pledged to buckle down, get my hands dirty, and try to grow my own food. I'd grown sick of blind compliance. I also wasn't unrealistic about this little adventure. I'm a student with a part-time desk job. I have numerous extracurricular and familial commitments. I couldn't dump the real world to the side of the road and become Farmer Chris overnight. That being said, I wanted to hold myself accountable. I've always relished the idea of self-sufficiency, but up until this garden experiment, I'd never really applied it to anything. I was going to see where this thing took me. I came out of it with a better sense of the difficulties of growing your own food—it can be a very frustrating process, one wrought with major ups and downright failures. I also experienced the untempered joy of growing edibles with my own two hands.

The project got a bit of a late start. I was busy toying with the idea of buying some 2x4's of cedar and screwing them together to build my own raised bed garden, but I had a better and (more importantly) cheaper option. Our family was throwing out some old deck boxes in the backyard; I commandeered one of them and made it my own. I gave it a good power-washing, ripped off the top cover, and drilled drainage holes in the bottom to allow excess water to escape.

My next challenge was twofold: 1) Find a good spot for the garden (one without too much shade), and 2) Fill the thing with soil—lots of soil.

It was important for me to purchase as much organic product as I could. If this experiment proved to be a success, I knew organic soil would much easier to maintain over multiple seasons. It was a bit expensive at first but would prove to be cost-effective in the long-run.

Then I picked my plants. This is the part of the experiment where I just sort of... winged it. It was late May by this time, so rather than buying seeds I bought startup plants: tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, purple bell peppers, and okra. What I ever thought I would use okra for is beyond me.

The other plants proved extremely useful. In late spring I added some potted strawberries and a gaggle of herbs (parsley, chives, spearmint, rosemary, basil, and lavender) which made cooking directly from the garden both fun and tasty.

Throughout this process, I learned that it isn't as hard to grow your own food as I thought, though it isn't without its downsides. I had more cucumbers than I could possibly eat; the plant quickly became overgrown and began attracting cucumber beetles, which (according to a friend in UCM's excellent Agriculture program) are nearly impossible to exterminate. Broccoli does not fair well in heat, which made for a frustrating July and August on that front. Same goes for the sweet potatoes; they were small and scattered, but still made for a delicious treat when setting in the oven to bake. The bell peppers were a success, as were the tomatoes. And the okra... I'd rather not talk about the okra.

I understand that one small garden isn't going to completely eliminate trips to the grocery store, but it will save money in the long-run. Gardening also helped me adopt healthier habits—and not only eating habits. I spent much more time in the sunlight than I would have otherwise, and for someone who doesn't exercise regularly (I know, I know), it was a productive way to stay active and engaged.

I encourage all college students to give this a try. It can save you money, provide you with fresh produce, and give you peace of mind as to where your food is coming from—your own hard work. Perhaps most importantly, a valuable skill is learned. If we can't trust our own two hands, what exactly can we trust? I know from this point on, every single spring/summer/fall day, I'll be using my hands to cultivate my own food. In that, there is an infinite reward.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

41944
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

26359
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

951559
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

136330
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments