Episode 189: How to Start Growing with No Time, Budget or Space
For the Busy Mommas…
Be careful what you mention in front of your father-in-law…that's all I'm saying…that's how I ended up with a metric ton of mushroom compost in my driveway, and many wheelbarrow trips back and forth later…a garden.
But gardening doesn't have to look like that. It can be manageable, small, and still make a big difference for your family.
Nicky Schauder and her husband, Dave, are on a mission to help families grow their own food.
Their garden journey began when their kids were diagnosed with “failure to thrive” due to multiple food allergies. Because of these health issues, they felt called to grow organic at home... and since they have supplied 25% of their fruits and veggies from their tiny townhouse backyard.
From their permaculture gardens to speaking at Green Festivals to their most recent project: a permaculture garden designer app (which successfully launched on Kickstarter last year!) to growing their family of 8, they are doing some pretty amazing and beautiful work in the world.
A Challenging Diagnosis (02:25)
It was 18 years ago that Nicky’s first child was diagnosed with Failure to Thrive, and when her second child was born, there were more diagnosed food allergies (at a time when there was only one allergen-friendly cookbook on the market…and she owned it).
So, the family decided to begin buying organic. They started with milk, added eggs, and more and more foods until the budget was maxed out. This is when they started trying to grow some of their food (her husband was a Jr. Gardener after all), and they started with tomatoes…which did not turn out well. Even Nicky’s basil died (which she now knows is part of the normal life cycle).
In fact, Nicky is still a bit of a black thumb, but more is growing than dying now. (Brittany is a self-proclaimed plant-hospice.)
A Life-Changing Idea (06:10)
One day, Nicky and her husband were on a bookstore date, and they saw a book about permaculture, which led to a google search and some amazing discoveries about what permaculture could do.
It wasn’t long before Nicky and her husband were both certified in permaculture, and after that…they were just excited to work with it!
Permaculture is all about working with nature; it can make you a lazy gardener (in the best way). Designing your natural systems so they work efficiently and make sense. For more on this topic, visit Nicky’s blog here.
The Difference Between Organic Gardening and Permaculture (09:05)
There is a distinct difference between organic gardening (which can be very extractive) and permaculture gardening (which can be regenerative).
In permaculture, it’s a closed loop, a cycle that should become more efficient and abundant over time. It sounds like a system designed by a mom…using your resources, designed to become easier over time, and achieving more in smaller spaces.
For example, Nicky and her husband lived in a tiny townhome for 15 years, and their backyard was chock-a-block with fruit trees, trellis, and all kinds of food. (Although it didn’t begin that way-it started with a few tomatoes and some basil that went poorly.) This led them to teaching people how to begin quickly and get the biggest wins (sprouting). They also teach people how to start microgreens (nutrient-dense plants you can start from what you have in the pantry).
Microgreens are great for kids to start with because they can be done in a week and a half (peas and sunflowers are the easiest).
Time to Grow (19:00)
It seems so true that most of us just don’t have enough time, but as Amy Stross wrote in her book on permaculture (The Suburban Micro-Farm), all you really need is 15 minutes a day (and 7 of them should be spent observing).
Another farmer, John Jeavons, who does small-space biointensive gardening in California, says that historically, it’s taken 3 minutes a day to grow food (he’s a scholar of ancient farming practices).
You do what you can in what little time you have.
Permaculture Zones of Use (21:45)
Permaculture has a concept of “Zones of Use” (different from USDA growing zones).
Zone 0 is the most frequently visited, your home.
Zone 1 is your kitchen garden.
Zone 2 is where your chickens and compost bins are.
Zone 3 is the more perennial things or production gardens.
For those of us with small spaces, we may only have zones 0 to 3, and that’s ok. When you begin, start small, and start with zone 0! What can you grow inside, and then what can you grow a little further away outside?
Like Saint Josemaria Escriva said, “Don't forget that, on earth, every big thing has had a small beginning.”
Gardening Can Bring Peace to a Mom's Heart (22:45)
There’s a distinct lack of peace in a mom’s life…even while sleep should be happening. This is why Brittany loves having a garden that she can kill things in, because she loves to go look at the plants…pull off dead leaves…move the soil around. Truly, it’s such a beautiful thing to have something to dabble in that brings peace and comfort. God must have designed it like that.
The one thing Britt grows extremely well is herbs (even in our rare Florida snowstorm). So when her daughter had a cough, and we discovered that Thyme could help, all she had to do was go out to her garden, cut some giant handfulls of Thyme and put them in dinner for the evening.
Even if you’re starting really small, there’s so much beauty and benefit that can come from a garden. In the spring, Nicky has napa cabbage, lettuce, grape leaves, brassica, kale, collards, cherry tomatoes, and her top three most-beloved plants are wisteria (a nitrogen-fixer), figs, and willow (this is great for boggy climates).
Yarrow will grow really well once it’s established (and it can be used medicinally), and borage (which Britt had to look up) loves the heat. It’s an edible flower (although it’s a bit floppy).
The Many Benefits of Gardening (28:35)
Gardening is a lifeskill that’s so valuable and important to pass on to our kids, and the benefits waterfall into so many areas (mental health, gut health, etc.). The idea of being able to grow some of your foods, send kids out to pick some cherry tomatoes or grab some blackberries off the bush, is a big deal.
Here at The Deliberate Day, we’re always about starting small.
Gardening is a great way to connect with your children; you’re sharing in some joy together. In the past, it was common 100 years ago for a mother to gift her daughter with a bag of seeds, and tell her, “Now you can grow, wherever you are you have a piece of me with you, and you can sustain your family with these seeds.”
A's to Our Q's (32:20)
Nicky’s go-to dinner in a pinch is sausage and pasta with greens. If it’s Asian, it’s ramen, pancit, and vegetarian would be baked potato or sweet potato with some beans and a dressing. Feasting at home is a great mix of flavor and veggie recipes.
The family’s favorite meal using veggies from the garden is spanakopita (stuffed grape leaves); the kids love rolling it. Also, sushi (which includes microgreens from the garden).
Her three most beloved plants from the garden are wisteria, tulsi (mother’s tea), and anise hyssop.
More from Nicky and Permaculture Gardens (36:55)
Nicky had the kids in mind when she made the Start with Sprouting course!
You’ll also see Nicky and her kids in two separate courses in the LifeskillsNow Summer Camp (affiliate link)! It’s FREE and it’s June 9th-13th!
Finally, if you need a kick-start to get growing, check out the 5-day Plant Your Pantry Challenge!
And, check out the Permaculture Gardens website to see more about Nicky and her beautiful family!
And sweet mommas, never forget…
YOU are doing beautiful work!
