12 Steps to Whole Foods

CHAPTER 5
Reaping a Gardener’s
Rewards
Your Goal:
To plant a garden and use absolutely everything in it! This month will consist of planning and planting,
but the execution of this month’s goal—the harvest, and learning new ways to use each vegetable—
will go on for several months.
NOTE: This chapter assumes you are starting this fifth step of the 12 Steps in the month of May. If you began
the 12 Steps in any month other than January, you will need to wait until May rolls around again to
plant your garden—though you may be able to get some things planted that can be harvested before
winter sets in, depending what month it is now. Read on and do as much of this step as you can now,
or wait until your planting conditions are ideal.
What You’ll Need:
• A garden space (ideally with wooden square-foot boxes) or pots for gardening on a patio if you
have no back yard.
• Compost to add to the soil (and consider building one or more compost boxes in your back yard
to reuse plant waste).
• A package of (preferably non-hybridized, untreated) seeds for each of the vegetables you’d like
to grow. A good source is www.heirloomseeds.com. Or, on May 1 in most climates, you may
purchase seedlings from your local nursery for tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and many other
plants.
• Optionally, a new or used full-sized freezer to put in the garage. After gardening, this is the
second-best way to save money eating a plant-based diet. It can dramatically extend the life of
your garden produce, giving you vegetables and fruits through the winter. It also allows you to
buy seeds and nuts in bulk through co-ops.
In other chapters, I’ve featured
“money-savings tips,” but this entire
chapter is a way to feed your family
practically for free. People who garden
tend to eat much more fresh produce
and have an advantage in any kind of
emergency situation, such as job loss.
It’s an excellent habit to cultivate—and
to teach children the “law of the
harvest” very directly—that what you
sow (and make an effort at), you reap.
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 119