Welcome to today's post, I am taking part in a 31 day blog challenge where I post everyday in October. I love creating challenges for myself and joining ones by others. My challenge for the rest of the month is to reflect on some of the series I created for myself and inspiration that I have taken away.
Listen to the Podcast
Today I am going to be talking about a series on my Gardening Channel called 31 Plants in my Tropical Garden
I moved a few years ago with my family to the Caribbean, Barbados to be exact, and I try and spend time between Barbados and London where possible.
I decided to do this challenge when I started growing my own food, plants in a space that could accommodate some of the things I wanted to grow in a tropical environment.
I had been collecting and purchasing seeds for the longest and in our current home was set with the challenge of planting on a slope and having an extremely tight budget, so I had to be creative in what I did. The Creative Gardener was born!
As I traveled round Barbados I came across many trees and plants that intrigued me and I wanted to know more about them and see if I could grow them myself.
It has been an exiting journey to see many of the plants grow and I was able to get quite a few going from seeds, some of the herbs I found that they didn't grow for me and I brought a few small plants then as they started to grow I propagated them, which was the start they needed.
The 31 Plant series was a way for me to share the plants that I was growing and how they looked in their small state, I found it encouraging as it took the mystery out of growing cause if I could do it then you could too! Filming the series was a way to document the progress and something for me to look back on to see how far I have come
Some plants have done really well, others have died and it is then the adventure to see what I need to do to correct the soil for next time. Some plants gave the appearance of having died, but then resurrected themselves and that has been really great to see.
One of the rewarding things that has come for sharing about what I am growing is that it has been so exciting seeing something that you put in the ground grow especially fruit trees, and plants that have so many beneficial and medicinal properties.
There are so many plants that I have wanted to grow over the years but being in a colder climate wasn't able to. I am now able to create a food forest, an edible landscape that is pleasing to all the senses and provides medicinal and nutritional benefits to the family as well.
Garden Nursery Set up - DIY
I encourage you to think about using your space to grow something whatever size you have. It is very rewarding and you will learn much about yourself in the process.
If you are on a budget and want to start growing your own, why don't you start with growing some of the seeds that come from the fruit or vegetables that you eat, you could start sprouting pulses and grow them on from there
Many of the seeds that you can purchase are quite economical and you can start quite quickly.
Places like the Pound Store/Dollar Store have a garden section and you can pick up some supplies for cheap. I have not brought seeds from them so can't say how good they are.
I will be sharing another series on my Gardening Channel for those who want to grow and garden on a tight budget so please subscribe and click the notification bell so you know when a new video has been uploaded. I currently post 2 or 3 new videos every week.
What has your approach been to your green space? You might only have a balcony but you can add a couple of pots and get some plants growing. If you don't have outdoor space you should get some pot plants. A lot of the plants grown in the Caribbean can be grown indoors in a warm environment so you can bring the tropics to your own home.
Do the plants you have need to have a new lease of life? you can look for some ways in which you can do some DIY and create a green space of your dreams.
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| Elephant Ears - gorgeous plant |
Tomorrow I will share the second part from my Tropical Garden Series. I hope during this month you find some time to challenge, be creative and stretch yourself.
Why not join me each day for the rest of October as we dive into to some exciting challenges and look at ways in which they can impact on your own life.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, it is never too late to start! The main thing is to take one step at a time and do something that you find interesting.
Stay blessed and be a blessing.
Ps: If you are on a budget and would like to check out some gardening supplies/books at a discounted price, check out one of the links below:
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