Get a Head Start on Your Garden at Work
Let’s face it, we all know groceries are expensive, and prices only seem to keep climbing, leaving us all wondering what to do. As talks about supply shortages take hold, some folks are turning back to standing up solutions on their own – like our volunteer driver, Steve, who’s sharing his tips on starting your own garden and the joy that sprouts from it. Whether you have a big plot, a balcony, or just a windowsill, we believe that growing some of your own produce is one way to cut down costs during your trips to the grocery store.
My name is Steve, and when I am not doing weekly home grocery deliveries for Rainier Valley Food Bank or playing in my punk rock band, the Finger Guns, I sit at a desk in my home office and build and maintain websites. When I am not doing those tasks, I also have a little garden where I grow the things I would buy most at the grocery store.
I am in no way a horticulturalist (I had to look the word up to make sure I was spelling it correctly). What I can tell you is that growing your own food can be very rewarding. It is also a great way to cut costs and know exactly where your food came from.
So what does this have to do with a home office?
Sitting alone at a home office desk can make you crave little breaks to take your eyes off the screen. Two years ago, I started thinking about a way to spruce up my desk. A couple of clicks later, some seeds, and a handful of dirt, I had Roma tomatoes, Thai peppers, and basil starting to grow right in front of me.
I don’t have a ton of natural light at my desk, but I do have a lamp, so I clicked away to Amazon, and $8 later, I had two 11-watt full-spectrum bulbs to give my plants the light they crave. The new bulb adds a nice, natural light, isn’t too bright, and doesn’t give off any odd color.
For getting started, I use fresh potting soil. I do not use any growth products as I really don’t want extra things in my food. I plant the seeds and water them each day, taking care to keep the soil moist but not soggy. When the sprouts start to appear, I rotate their container each day as these aspiring starts “lean” to the light source (aka Da Lamp of Life). I may or may not say hi to them each day – cut me some slack, I work from home.
Most of the starts I am growing are frost-sensitive, so these will stay indoors until there is no chance of freezing. Once that concern has passed, I gently dig around their roots, carefully lift the plant, and root out to take it to its new home.
So now I am a Basil baron. Sitting in front of me as I type away are starts for Basil, various tomatoes, kale, cilantro, and broccoli. Instead of buying these all summer at the grocery store, they will soon be growing in my garden. There's also a nice change of pace: take a minute a day to look at how they are growing and give them a little water.
I’d encourage anyone interested to give it a shot. It’s so easy and inexpensive. You can do this year-round! Many people don’t have space for a garden, but most of these plants can be grown in pots on their decks or porches. Conversely, feel free to grow something like basil or wheatgrass that you never take outside. Either way, grow away!
