As someone who has always loved flowers, and even planted them in season – especially for Easter – it had not occurred to me to plant and reap my own food!
In March, 2020, when we in The Bahamas were instructed to remain at home, to social distance, not to mix and mingle – this was an absolute shock to most Bahamian people who are very ‘touchy feely’, who greet with a hug and kiss, love to meet up for any reason, after work, weekends at the beach or on a boat, and just celebrate life!
Everything happened so suddenly with the Corona Virus – at that no one was really sure just how quickly it was transmitted – so most people then obeyed the rules. These were guidelines recommended by all the World Health Organization (WHO) – so now, we had to figure out how to spend all our days and nights at home.
Amazing things happen when we open our minds – I thought of sewing masks – but it is said that ‘sitting is the new smoking’ , so that was out… maybe gardening?
I did not like the sun burning my skin – but now I love the sun and am just cautious during the middle of the day…
Begin with seeds, or small cuttings from other gardening enthusiasts!
Nurturing them helped me to nurture myself, so at the same time, I began eating right and lost all the weight I needed to lose – for now until I begin to train for the marathon!
I can’t wait to expand my garden, but I am happy and in awe of the yields over the past few months.
The experience of being outdoors especially early in the morning is good for the mind, body and spirit.
Watching food grow is rewarding, but a special treat is to watching the regular bees and the illusive fluorescent green bee pollinate the blossoms. An added attraction is to observe the humming birds and bumblebees enjoy several flower blooms.
Look for more on Bahamian native plants in future blog posts.
Contributed by Lana – The Grateful Gardener.