OK, we’re going to speak to the experienced, habitual grower out there. We know you’re out there and you need to hear this. You don’t have to grow everything!
As up and coming growers, we easily became mystified by all the types of plants and varieties out there that we could grow. For years, we added to our repertoire. And sure, we gained experience, knowledge and all that lovely nuance that comes along with mastering a new plant. For years, we kept adding. But, we never really took anything away.
Years ago now, we decided to really give a hard look at the value that our plants were providing us. Was fennel truly enhancing our lives? Not to offend any fennel lovers, but no, we’d barely use it! Were those six kale plants somehow helping us? No, and turns out, even soup kitchens have limits on how much kale they’ll take! And don’t even get me started on that cursed cardoon and just how many hours of my life it took away from me. We earnestly and honestly assessed both the plants we grew and how many of them we grew.
Ever since, we’ve been cutting back on the quantities and types of plants we grow. We’re still in the process of doing this! And guess what? It gave us a ton more room to grow plants that truly benefitted us. We had more of what we truly loved! We were no longer spending a lick of time harvesting, preparing and preserving plants that brought us little joy.
We boiled this whole thought process down to a philosophy. Grow what you like to eat! When you do this, your garden works better for you. It becomes a source of satisfaction, producing only what you like. And none of what drags you down. Paring down our garden’s scope was probably one of the best things we’ve ever done!
So, if you’re one of those habitual gardeners like we used to be, we’d encourage you to shake those habits! Shake them hard! We aren’t saying “don’t experiment” or “make hard choices.” Rather, we are saying that time spent tuning your garden to your precise needs and desires will provide you more benefit than you might think!
