Thanks so much for the words and support! Yeah it has been quite the adventure so far but really encouraging by just seeing how many people have also started to experience that side to gardening :D
I found a real passion for gardening in 2020. I’ve gardened since 2014, but grief kickstarted something very new and surprising. By 2021 I was absolutely obsessed with design, plans, soil, flowers, veg, fruits & herbs, building raised beds & designing my greenhouse. It’s a lifestyle, not a destination or merely a goal to achieve. I developed my own dirt-less soil and am going to use my beds as my worm farm. Being part of the creative process is such a blessing. To see life form and grow into producing beauty and nourishment because of the nurturing environment that gets poured out to tiny seeds is actually mind blowing when you stop to think about it. So much symbiosis that is reciprocal between human, earth, animal, insect, & plant. It’s harmony actualized and it’s the most lovely life flow to help heal shattered hearts. The hope that continually comes from each phase never dies, it renews. Truly a grand design and I draw closer to the Creator of all with the co-labor. What a gift He gives!! Many blessings to you! Thank you for sharing your journey. In Yeshua’s care, 🙏🏻💞🙌🏻
I lost my wife to suicide 1161 days ago - I’ve been slowly gardening since. I just built a greenhouse in November. I enjoy your channel, I’m glad I found it.
Thank you for sharing this. I always thought I had a black thumb, then my mom died in 2017 and I adopted almost all of her (many, many) plants. She was an avid gardener with the most amazing green thumb. As I have learned about how to take care of her plant babies, I have become more and more excited about what else I can grow, and this year I am planting a proper garden. Working in the soil is so healing, and makes me feel so close to my mom. Thank you for all of your videos!
So sorry to hear of your loss, Jessica- and simultaneously so thrilled to hear about how you have connected with gardening and how it has become a medium for you to feel connected to her - that's really beautiful ❤️
The other thing is you get a wonderful feeling when you have finished building or growing something and thats great for building up you self esteem. I just bought a new house and my front and backyard is dirt. I'm exhausted after a few hours of work but my depression and anxiety are getting less and less . I can't wait to get some food from my new property knowing I did this :)
Oh Alena thank you so much for sharing this ❤️❤️. I couldn't agree more with that feeling of accomplishment when I harvest a tomato or squash - such a joy knowing that I nurtured it from seed all the way to harvest. Thrilled to have you growing with us ❤️
I was thinking maybe the schools would be interested in some kind of gardening program? Kids have gone through so much with the lockdowns, it might be rewarding for them to watch what the worms can do , then using the castings to grow fresh food, and then being able to cultivate a harvest in the end. They would reap the rewards of their labours. Young gardeners are the future. Just a thought. Happy gardening!
Gardening has kept me sane since I started 45 years ago through family crises, births, deaths, sickness, and so on. My gardens have been where I meditate and easily practise mindfulness (or what I call mindlessness or single mindedness). As far as composting I have been most successful burying my kitchen waste (vegetable matter only) directly into the vegetable garden, 1 1/2 feet deep. I’ve never had any animal dig them up in 10 years-fingers crossed. Worms have increased exponentially also in those areas. I love your sessions Jordan! Thank you!.
restorative gardening...love that. That is what I was trying to convey with my channel. Love to see this! Gardening makes me lose myself....Best wishes.
Awesome brother!! Funny I was thinking today while turning our compost that I enjoy the process more than the harvest. Being very new to gardening it's amazing to know how much there is to learn. Unlike many other things I'm not intimidated or fear failing at all. It's odd but an amazing feeling. I too had struggles but would never change a thing. I wouldn't have found my wife otherwise. Don't want to minimize your or anyone's pain but 1 of my favorite quotes is "a loss is never a loss if you learn from it" Btw - 13 years clean and sober ;)
First and foremost, huge congrats on the 13 years! That's absolutely incredible and deserves all the celebration! And I can TOTALLY relate to turning the compost hahaha. There are honestly few things I enjoy more than popping some music or an audiobook on and spending 30-45mins turning the compost, weeding, or some other menial task!
I just watched your video about how gardening has helped with your stress and anxiety. Being a recent widow, i realized just recently how healing working in my garden has become. It is my place of calm. I am very focused on what i am doing, what i can do to improve my garden and it gives me back so much. I grow for myself and i love to share with my family and neighbours. I can and dehydrate my extra bounty so i eat healthy through the winter. I have also started winter gardening with some success. Kale has to be the most amazing crop to overwinter. It starts to grow again as soon as the days start to get longer. So i have wonderful salads throughout the spring including the kale flowers which are sweet and delicious. I cut those off when they are spent and the plant continues to produce leaves for another season. So it gives me so much but is also wonderful for all the bees, butterflies, etc. We help Mother Nature and she helps us too! Keep up the great work.
I so enjoyed this video…I have been a gardener my whole life and always felt comforted and happy doing this. But in 2011, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and severe PTSD, work related. Now my gardening and working in my yard is what keeps me going. My mental health and physical well being is nurtured by my yard and gardens..flower and vegetable.trying to be as self sufficient as I can be is an ongoing goal that I thrive from and look forward to everyday. Thanks for sharing your story👍
Oh thank you so much for sharing this Brenda!! ❤️❤️ I totally hear ya and am amazed time and time again just how the garden nurtures and rejuvenates my soul. So happy you found us and excited to be gardening with you! :)
I only like gardening if I see that a plant is growing successfully. I don't really like doing gardening chores and only once in a while do my parents help me. Often I listen to music on my phone while doing tasks or play bird noises out loud to attract birds. I first started gardening in 2017, when I was 17 because my parents and I moved to our current bigger house with many soil plots outside and lots of sunny, extra space inside. I felt guilty if I didn't grow stuff. One way I don't let gardening feel overwhelming is to only grow outdoor plants within the 114 average frost-free days in Calgary, Canada. I have frost blankets we can use on plants that haven't finished growing in early September, because the average first frost date is September 14. I have seen videos that talk about planting fall or winter or spring gardens, but then I would have to use special cold protection like cold frames. We don't want to buy or make stuff like that, I don't grow enough plants to make that worth it anyways. It is easier to just to grow within the city's growing season. For my indoor plants, I don't have to think about outside temperatures except for not letting leaves touch the window glass in fall, winter and spring.
Yes! At 4:00 min, I’ve been there! First time we had filled our first raised bed, my hands in the soil, the hope of the new beginnings of life in it, it was spiritual. Beginning of my healing. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Alex! So glad that you have found gardening and gotten so much joy from it - as well as finding us! Can't wait to grow with you in 2022. How did you come across us?!
@@MindandSoil I am part of the Canadian Gardening fb page that you are on. And I love the colouring pages you sent, helps me be mindful and calm. I find winter very hard and count the days till I can start of my seedlings. LB.
@@MindandSoil Yes I do, and some shelving from ikea that works well. I usually grow far more than I have room to plant, so enjoy sharing with my neighbors.
Thankyou for sharing this video! My story is almost exactly the same as yours and recently i've started gardening again, definitely soothes the nervous system. I thought if i cannot completely transform my life right now, i will at least try to make the garden beautiful and its been extremely cathartic, removing the weeds, started a compost bin, planted some coriander. Finally giving myself permission to go with what feels like it has purpose and not forcing things that don't. Really inspiring to hear your story!
Wow, what a story. Thank you for sharing 🙏 My story only starts in 2020 during the pandemic. I’m one of those folks that was drawn to your Soil Saturday posts. Originally I started gardening as something for my daughter and I to do everyday in the summer during the pandemic. While it remained something we did together it also became a place for me to chill out and relax. I would find myself walking out onto my patio (where my garden was) during phone meetings (when I was most stressed). I would steal five minutes in the garden when I could. My gardening journey is evolving. 2021 saw my garden triple in size. 2022 will be something different because we’ve now moved and so I get to experiment with my new space to see what grows. However, it’ll still remain a place I can go for a little mental peace 😊🌿🪴🌻
Thanks so much for sharing this with us Mike! Glad that the initial Soil Saturday's intrigued you enough to get your hands dirty and that it has been such a positive experience for you. Thrilled to have you along for the adventure!
Hi, I love your story. I wish you live close so that I can bring my son to speak to you and maybe he can do the same. He had a mental problem, I love gardening but it so hard for me to encourage him to garden. I live in UK. ❤
This video just came up as recommended. Is YT trying to tell me something? 😄 Really like the name of your channel. Great topic, thanks for sharing your story.
Hehe RU-vid is telling you you're right where you need to be and that you've come to the right place! Thanks so much for the kind words - so happy to have you with us! :D
Brother, you have no idea how much your story resonates with me. I lost a son and then my wife left me for not knowing how to handle my emotions. Plants somehow allowed me to calm my soul and grow as a man. I wish you the best
Ah man thank you so much for the vulnerability and being willing to share this with me 🙏🏻❤️. Yeah, I'm constantly in amazement of how much joy and peace plants can bring us!
This is a very inspiring video and I'm glad you shared your story! Nature, plants, and animals are incredible sources of rejuvenating energy. I recently uprooted from the SF Bay Area to France and it's been challenging for me. Even though I am still very much a beginner, growing plants brings me a lot of comfort and I'm finally starting my own "real" garden and utilizing what I am learning from others - like you!! I still have no idea what I am doing but it's fun, nonetheless, and I enjoy seeing what survives living with me!
Wow. I'm feeling so grateful having found your channel, Jordan! I've been binge watching for hours. We have soooooo much in common, right down to the time period when my mental health took a downturn. Compost fanaticism, worms, gardening for mental health. I look forward to getting to know you in coming months! Thank you for looking out for us all!
Hi Jordan, so glad I found your channel. I discovered gardening in 2020 when, like many others, I was looking for something to do/learn while spending the majority of our time at home. I started with a 4x10 raised garden bed, and a ton of containers and was rewarded with lots of veggies and beautiful flowers. In 2021, I started growing a few things from seed and had A LOT more containers. Now my plan for 2022 involves growing all my vegetables and flowers from seed, utilizing a second raised bed, and we are now building a small greenhouse out of upcycled windows. I am now finding myself connecting on a deeper level with the actual process of gardening. Very therapeutic indeed. 🌿
@@MindandSoil I actually found out about your channel from a local FB gardening group post. A group member recommended you for local gardening tips, although we are different zones. I am Zone 8b Southern Vancouver Island.
@@dreambigcarryon2235 Ah fantastic!! Yes just about the same zone! And in a lot of ways way more similar than different. I sometimes think that the zones could be grouped together a bit more because they don't account for the nuances within the season (i.e. last June's heat dome meant for that stretch we were probably in more of a Zone 10/11 environment for the majority of summer). All about having a plan and then adjusting for the nuances that each season brings!
Gardening and even just basic yardwork has been an important physical outlet for me recently. I love hearing stories about how it helps other people. Do you have ideas on how to help kids get into gardening?
Hello Jorden. Thanks for sharing your remarkable journey. I was looking for a best meatloaf recipe. And on the side bar I noticed you So listened and was so happy for you Thanks for sharing. Love following you. With your helpful hints. That have helped me so much. 🥰🥰👍👍
Hah - I'm thrilled you stumbled upon us, especially through a Meat Loaf video! Thanks so much for being with us and can't wait to garden with all you all through the season and into the years ahead!
I literally typed into RU-vid “why do I have the sudden urge to grow plants” and landed here. So. Here I am. Teach me. Why do I want to grow plants. What plants do I want to grow. And how do I get started?
Hahah omg this is the best Blake! Where are you based? And what are the three vegetables you enjoy most or are most intrigued/fascinated by? I gots you 🙌🏻👊🏻
@@MindandSoil Wow sorry it took me so long to reply. I live in Southwest Ohio - My favorite vegetables are Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes. But I'm fascinated by Onions, Potatoes, and Garlic!
Hello: thanks for the inspiring talk. I am involved in a Community Garden Society on the Island and was wondering how I could begin a worm casting program for our gardeners. I would reach about 90 gardeners and many would be interested if it can be done on a reasonable budget.
Hi Jordan. Thanks for sharing all that. I have really severe seasonal affective disorder, that I’ve been hospitalized for many times. I was wondering if you have any tips for getting through the winter (I am planting garlic this year, so thank you for the videos about that. I’ve always wanted to but never had enough motivation.) I know that things don’t get quite so dead in BC as they do in Alberta, but it’s still Canada. I find I have the hardest time September through January. In February I can start planting a few things indoors, and just generally start to feel that there’s more hope because spring is coming, even when it’s super cold out. I’m really glad I discovered your channel, and also that you found your passion.
Hi Shannon, Thanks so much for sharing this with me ❤️. It sounds like having stuff to grow really lights you up, and the challenge has been that there isn't much to grow in those winter months? What about building a little bit of an indoor Zen garden with some plants that could grow well in an indoor space and then either discarded as you get ready for Spring or moved into the outdoor garden at that time? Does an idea like that excite you?
@@MindandSoil yes. Thank you for the suggestion. I’m going to look into some plants that I might be able to get for Christmas. One quick question. I planted some garlic 3 days ago before I watched your videos (not a lot), and now I want to do it differently. Do you think it would be bad to dig it up now? Should I maybe just plant a bit more, using your tips?
@@shannondavis1961 You could definitely dig them up! Just dig around the area that you planted them and then search around for the cloves before replanting them :) Also - send me an email at jordan@mindandsoil.com as I'd love to discuss the indoor garden with you more!
Just finished growing big garlic September 27. My garlic went moldy one year so is my soil too heavy or should I scrape the soil away. Last year my garlic cloves separated and had no paper. What am I doing wrong
Great questions! Mold can often be a result of over-watering/not enough drainage. Last year's issue sounds like it could be related to too late of a harvest date. The skin and cloves start to separate when left in the ground too long. Don't worry, every year is an experiment and opportunity to learn something new. :) We are all learning!
Isaiah Chapter 66 1 Thus saith the LORD: The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that ye may build unto Me? And where is the place that may be My resting-place? 2 For all these things hath My hand made..
