There are tons of reasons to garden!  It’s relaxing, rewarding, and gives you fresh ingredients without the trip to the grocery store.  The only problem is, when we think of gardening, we may think constant weeding, mosquito bites, tilling, fencing, pests, and sunburns.  So how do you garden so it’s fun, easy, and gratifying?

By using pots on the back deck!

This is a very minimalist way to garden that requires very little attention and can still provide you with great produce or herbs.  For our climate in Alabama, tomatoes grow like weeds. They do require watering every few days, but that’s about it.  It is also important to try and pick your ripe tomatoes within a day or two of reddening so they don’t get eaten by other critters (especially if you don’t want to use pesticides).

But there is something truly exciting about growing your own food.  It is extremely gratifying to make your own pico de gallo with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, and garlic right from your garden.

For many of my patients, they use gardening as a way to get exercise and improve their vegetable intake in their diet.

But for me, I use it as a way to relax.  A way to provide fresh produce to my friends and family.  Especially when I have a great turn out.  Now that’s gratifying.

And if back deck gardening still seems like too much work, visit your local community garden or Food Bank.  There are always people in need of fresh food and the feeling you get helping people is beyond satisfying.

This is definitely one way to feed your mind and your belly!