Gardening can be intimidating and in some areas, like here in Arizona, there is a serious learning curve to maintaining a fruitful outdoor garden - mostly because our grow season(s) in the desert look a little different. We actually have two grow seasons! But, it's not just the grow seasons that make gardening in the desert unique. Irrigation and soil quality (nutrient availability or overload) also impact the garden's productivity and sustainability.
Irrigation obviously plays a critical role in every garden; but, I would say the demands by our arid climate requires special attention when it comes to the art of watering. It's not impossible to grow here. I have successfully grown zucchini, eggplant, basil, and cilantro aplenty (and I've seen others grow much, much more); but in my last few seasons, watering the garden became more of a hassle than a hobby. The garden beds were on one side of the house (for the best light/shade options) and our closest hose bib was on the other side. Inheriting the tower garden (thank you Pam and Erik) provided me the opportunity to continue growing some of my own food without much of the labor; and I truly love it.
The indoor garden has its own kinks to work out too, but like, what doesn't. Overall, the output of vegetation greatly outweighs the amount of effort I put in. In fact, I'd say I spend more time looking through BakerCreek's online seed catalogue compared to anything else I do that's garden related. [Slight exaggeration; but, I am excited for a couple new arrivals (some are already in their seedling stage): Spoon Tomato, Chinese String Eggplant, Orange Hat Tomato, Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry, Amaranth (Chinese Multicolor Spinach) and Wonderberry.]
Besides the general ease in planting and maintaining, I love watching everything grow - right in my house. I can't even count the number of times I check on my garden, especially when new seeds are planted, because it's just so accessible. But, the thing I like most about the indoor garden is how I can try new plant varieties whenever I want. There is no set season that I have to follow, AND I can replace plants as needed. This means, I can regularly rely on the garden's output to make some of my favorite meals at any time of year!
Reason #1: Smoothies
Smoothies are SO versatile! Smoothies for me include:
greens (kale, chard, and/or spinach)
yogurt (I like plain, low-fat because they have minimal added sugars)
fresh or frozen fruit
some type of liquid (plant milks and water work great)
protein powder or nuts/seeds/peanut butter
Reason #2: Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are also super easy to customize. My lettuce wraps often include:
lettuce (in the video below, we had three varieties thanks to our garden)
shrimp, tofu, tilapia or chicken
rice
peanut sauce (sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter and/or powdered peanut butter, garlic powder or finely chopped garlic, chili flakes)
References:
Rare Heirloom Seeds| Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. https://www.rareseeds.com/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2022. (plant pictures)
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