Making My Big Difference by Starting Small: Planting Container Gardens for Food Revolution Day

I never thought of myself as a gardener.  When I was first married, I tended to kill my houseplants, and my early attempts at a garden left me with an overgrown mess!  So I gave up trying to have a green thumb for a while and focused on my business, without really giving a thought to the quality of food we eat. 

Forward ahead 3 years, two kids and a personal training business where food is a hot topic and I started to research more about our food system, what really goes on in our food and how the government has control.  I was appalled!  I wanted to be an advocate – I wanted to yell at our politicians and Big Agriculture.  But what could I do?  I wanted to change the world but how do you do that when the systems that are messed up are so huge?  I thought if I can’t save everyone, I at least could save my family.  So it was time to start up the garden again.  This time I researched and read, and trial and error over the years has become my friend.  Now we have a garden that is perfect for our family. 

The first year I started small by planting a few tomato and pepper plants in pots.  The second year I planted a small garden in our yard with just tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce.  This year, in a larger space with a bigger garden, we have strawberries & raspberries in their third year so we should be getting a fair amount.  We have about seventy five Texas Super Sweet Onions, five broccoli plants, lettuce, beets, carrots & spinach already planted.  We will be planting bush beans, tomatoes, Jalapeños, banana peppers, and Red peppers,  I also plant quite a bit of basil (we LOVE it!)  We will also have a mixture of herbs in one pot - usually oregano, dill, maybe some rosemary or thyme.  And we always have a large pot for cilantro (for Salsa!)

Now, with the help of Food Revolution Day I can finally make my “big” difference and share my passion about gardening. It’s time to inspire others to start small and begin learning about growing fresh food in your own back yard.

Digging in on Food Revolution Day

For our Free Food Revolution Day event, we are asking that people bring any container they want to use.  We currently have some bringing a bunch of small pots, someone is bringing a pallet, some are bringing one large pot and another is bringing a portable raised bed!  We are getting a load of garden soil/compost that a local garden center can deliver and I have been collecting a variety of seeds - pretty much anything I can find, organic when available - and organic fertilizer.  When people arrive they can fill their pots and plant their seeds.  We will be helping with whatever they need.  We also have a friend who is a landscaper who is willing to deliver the finished heavy pots over the weekend so everyone gets them home safe and sound.  Anyone who also has seedlings they want to bring and plant or seeds they are interested in sharing can feel free.  We will be providing some fresh food (although not from my garden - still too early - but the recipes we like to eat) like salsa, salad, bread and drinks.  We will also have some different information on gardening and how to care for what they just planted.  So now it’s time to make a big difference in a little pot!  For even more information on our event and to RSVP, please go to http://activities.foodrevolutionday.com/ironfitnesspt/planting_container...