How to Grow Your Own Garden

Want to save money, improve your health, and spend more time outdoors? Start your own garden! Growing your own fruits and vegetables is the ideal way to control what chemicals come into contact with your produce, and more affordable than the grocery store. Even better, homegrown food is often tastier and healthier than its store-bought counterpart.

Since it is likely that we have passed the last Seattle frost, you can start planting new crops right away. Even if your housing doesn't offer a lot of space, you can grow gardens in a sunny corner of your backyard, in your nearby P-Patch, or even in the SPU organic community garden located off of 4^th Ave and W. Dravus St.

Luckily, growing your own plants is easier than most people think.

You can begin growing plants in indoor pots if the weather is still too cold or wet for the fragile baby plants, and replant them in tilled soil once the sun starts shining more. Or start a windowsill garden with small pots of culinary herbs like rosemary and oregano.

Although starter plants have the highest likelihood of living until they bear edibles, they can get a bit expensive depending on your plant of choice. Prices can vary from $3 - $30 and higher. A packet of seeds, on the other hand, only costs about a dollar, and has the ability to grow multiple starts. The cheapest growers are hardy vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and squash.

But the cheapest and easiest option for growing food is to cut off the growing “eyes” of old potatoes and planting them in the nearest patch of dirt. Potatoes are very low-maintenance to grow, needing only partial sunlight and moist soil. Dig them up in 2-4 months to find a bunch of tender, new potatoes perfect for roasting or frying.

And if you compost, the free mulch from your yard clippings and leftovers is the best nutrition for growing plants (and if you don’t compost, start now!).

The SPU community garden

Have questions or concerns about starting up your own garden? Comment down below and we will answer any you throw our way.

Finding S.P.A.C.E. on Campus

Sharing my knowledge of the on-campus club SPACE (Seattle Pacific Agriculture for the Community and Environment) usually comes with blank stares or "Garden club? We have a community garden?" Yes! In fact, I would highly encourage checking it out firsthand. You'll be happily welcomed by fresh fruits, vegetables and perhaps a couple weeds here and there.

Tucked away off of 4th Ave and W Dravus, you'll find the beautiful gem that is SPU's organic community garden. S.P.A.C.E. is in its third year of cultivating the community through organic urban-gardening. Whether you are a student, faculty member or person of the community, SPACE welcomes you with open arms to be apart of their mission in providing fresh organically grown produce to the community.

Although the clubs first cover crop planting already passed, there are still many opportunities to join S.P.A.C.E. this year. Be on the lookout for future harvests, plantings and their annual winter screening event. Past screening events have included a collaboration with community members in order for students to observe and discuss issues of food practices in America.

For further information about S.P.A.C.E., the community garden and upcoming events please contact Co-Presidents Rachael Nelson-Knecht (nelsor3@spu.edu) or Brittany Raab (raab13@spu.edu). Any input for the club is always opening welcomed as well. S.P.A.C.E. is always searching for new ideas on events and service projects!