Hello, potatoes!! We hope you’ve had a wonderful start to your spring!! 🌼🪺 And, in honor of this glorious spring, our next three-month theme is gardening! 🌸 Gardening is a good way to be more sustainable and self-sufficient and connect with your local ecosystems.

April is an excellent month to begin a garden! And if you don’t have space outdoors, fear not — you can make a lovely garden in just a few pots!

Here are some things you’ll want to do to start your garden this month:

• Plan your garden; you’ll want to consider which plants want more light, shelter, fresh soil, etc. and which plants grow well together (consider companion planting and principles of permaculture)
• Plant seeds of plants who start growing early, such as radishes and other plants to grow in April (AADL has a seed library where you can get seeds for free!!)
• Plant seeds for seedlings you’ll start growing indoors (you may want to do this for squashes, for example, so they have more time to grow without being exposed to the cold when very young)
• If you can, start composting your food scraps and yard waste; it’ll turn into rich soil to help your new plants!
• Research the needs of the plants you’ll be growing (for instance, tomatoes need LOTS of water) — follow the labels on the seeds you get, but also make sure to ✨commune with the plants✨ and check on each plant personally
• Prepare a place for your plants to be planted once they’re ready (locate good patches of soil, build garden boxes, or get pots)
• Watch the magic begin! 🌱

Of course, planting a garden is a big project and not for everyone, so we have a few suggestions of smaller gardening-like things to do!

• Spread native seeds in your lawn or in places in your city where they’ll spread and grow. Here are some wildflowers native to Michigan!
• Volunteer at community gardens near you, like the Community Food Forest or Growing Hope
• Start a small garden (LED or tiny pots in a window) of herbs to keep inside and use in your cooking; you can also regrow plants like lettuce from their stems
• Forage, identify local plants, and help your local wildlife however you can

All the best with your gardening adventures, and join us next month for tips on later-growing plants and maintaining your garden!!