The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week this year is Nature - so it seems a very apt time to talk about my new hobby that has not only done wonders for my mental health, but also had a fantastic bonus of quieting my tinnitus: gardening.
In August last year we moved to a house with a decent enough sized garden and windowsills to try my hand at growing something for the first time. The lockdown had instilled a need in me to spend enjoyable time outside and with nature, something that I had not ever felt like I needed before. We were fortunate enough to move in next door to some amazing neighbours with very green fingers that gave me a few herbs and seeds to get me started. I love fresh chillies, so purchased a few pots and when a few of them germinated, sat them on the windowsill for the winter. To my surprise they grew exceptionally well and my partner bought me a chilli grow kit for Christmas so I chucked all the seeds in a pot, thinking only a few might come through (this is pretty much my entire approach to gardening). A few months later I had 31 chilli plants and no where near enough window space! A lucky win on the Grand National put an extra few quid in my back pocket and I decided to buy a portable greenhouse which well and truly got me bitten by the gardening bug!
Currently, I have 30+ chillies, 12 cherry tomatoes, 6 bell peppers, 30 brussels, 50 cabbages, 120 carrots, and 150 onions all grown from seed, waiting on results from some potatoes, a few lettuce from my neighbours and a raspberry plant bought from a garden centre. I hoping for both a pear tree and accompanying partridge before Christmas! The amount of produce that has germinated has really taken me by surprise, I have a legacy of killing houseplants for decades. I have no idea how this has happened.
What has caught me off guard more than anything, is how much I am enjoying the process. For me, the end result and harvest is not the most important thing, just a bonus. The greatest part is the therapy it provides. There's something to be said about having your hands in earth; the physical exertion giving a feeling of clearing the mind and tiring the body in a good way; being able to listen to music and forgetting all about my tinnitus for an afternoon - the rate of growth would say that the plants approve of my musical taste which is often an eclectic mix of soul, swing, 80s synthpop, jive and motown.
In August last year we moved to a house with a decent enough sized garden and windowsills to try my hand at growing something for the first time. The lockdown had instilled a need in me to spend enjoyable time outside and with nature, something that I had not ever felt like I needed before. We were fortunate enough to move in next door to some amazing neighbours with very green fingers that gave me a few herbs and seeds to get me started. I love fresh chillies, so purchased a few pots and when a few of them germinated, sat them on the windowsill for the winter. To my surprise they grew exceptionally well and my partner bought me a chilli grow kit for Christmas so I chucked all the seeds in a pot, thinking only a few might come through (this is pretty much my entire approach to gardening). A few months later I had 31 chilli plants and no where near enough window space! A lucky win on the Grand National put an extra few quid in my back pocket and I decided to buy a portable greenhouse which well and truly got me bitten by the gardening bug!
Currently, I have 30+ chillies, 12 cherry tomatoes, 6 bell peppers, 30 brussels, 50 cabbages, 120 carrots, and 150 onions all grown from seed, waiting on results from some potatoes, a few lettuce from my neighbours and a raspberry plant bought from a garden centre. I hoping for both a pear tree and accompanying partridge before Christmas! The amount of produce that has germinated has really taken me by surprise, I have a legacy of killing houseplants for decades. I have no idea how this has happened.
What has caught me off guard more than anything, is how much I am enjoying the process. For me, the end result and harvest is not the most important thing, just a bonus. The greatest part is the therapy it provides. There's something to be said about having your hands in earth; the physical exertion giving a feeling of clearing the mind and tiring the body in a good way; being able to listen to music and forgetting all about my tinnitus for an afternoon - the rate of growth would say that the plants approve of my musical taste which is often an eclectic mix of soul, swing, 80s synthpop, jive and motown.
While preparing this blog, I've been thinking about starting a gardening Instagram (I already have a few other profiles for different hobbies) and wondered how I could link this in with this blog. Thinking about a song was tough too. Then it hit me like a brick, one of my favourite musicals, Little Shop of Horrors! Another dilemma here, which song? I love them all. So I decided to mix it up a bit with the title (obvious choice), the song (if you've never seen the film I'm not giving away any spoilers - so go watch it!) and of course the Instagram handle. All versions of Audrey II were taken, so you can find me @mean_green_mother to have a gander at what I've have done so far and follow me on the journey to harvest time.
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