15 ways to use your outside space for happy, hopeful and healthier living this summer with editor and resilient-gardening expert Kim Stoddart
Oh my goodness it’s all a bit stressful out there right now in the world at large. Doomscrolling is a newish, pandemic-era created word, said to describe the obsessive scrolling of negative news or social media which results in stressful feelings. Yet, just a peek at the everyday news right now feels like doomscrolling, even when one is searching for some positivity and light in the heady, heavy mix.
So this gives us more reason than ever, dear gardeners, to embrace our outside spaces, plants and community gardening opportunities for the respite, and to treasure the green-fingered earthy delights and delicious edibles to be found therein.
To relish switching off and switching on to the joy of the natural world, to embrace the things, here, that help us stay strong and grounded no matter what the weather is doing, or the world events out of our control. There are often many good vibes to be found in the simplest, cheapest ways, and here are just a few ideas to help you on your merry way.
Bring some of the outside in
Even if you don’t grow dedicated cut flowers, an excuse to walk around your garden looking for pretty blooms that can be used to create an indoor flower display is an incredibly enjoyable process. There is no right or wrong over this, and it’s fun to get experimental with what you find. From wild blooms such as campions or grasses, edible flower heads such as fennel or chive to interesting foliage, the more you look the more you find for picking and displaying indoors to make you smile.
…
Tips
Don’t forget to leave lots for wildlife as well and please check first that what you are picking isn’t poisonous.
….
Ditch the guilt
So many gardeners feel guilty they haven’t done enough weeding, polishing, primping, or their gardens don’t look like those they see on TV or social media. Now is the time to relish what you have and enjoy it for you. If you feel like just sitting and staring, do that, if you want to do some angry weeding after watching the news, go right ahead, this is your space.
We guide you with ideas but ultimately you are the custodian of your precious green space. Don’t forget also that wildlife gardening is all the rage so if anyone says anything about your garden being a little overgrown, say ‘it’s a wildlife garden don’t you know’, and leave it at that.
Top to ‘tail’ eating
There is much joy to be found in making the best use of everything we grow in the vegetable garden and what we bring to the kitchen doesn’t have to just be leaves, roots, and fruits. It’s enjoyable getting creative with what might otherwise be composted, for example using stems and peelings in soups and as a stock ingredient, carrot tops made into a pesto, edible flowers from salad, rocket, or any of the brassica plants used to create edible meal decoration.
Garden around the weather
As much as we can, it’s good to seize the moment when the weather is clement and make the most of gardening and outside enjoyment. In our topsy turvy world we don’t know from one week to the next what sort of weather system might be in place so do enjoy it when the sun shines and it’s not too hot.
Make time to play with compost
Making your own gardeners’ gold and actually just enjoying (where possible, and safely for you) the feeling of soil and compost in your hands, is very good for us. Doing so is grounding and can help activate the release of feel-good serotonin in the brain (via the soil pathogen Mycobacterium vaccae, which research has shown to be beneficial for our wellbeing). Its a brilliant excuse if ever I heard one to get up close and personal with soil.
Find a use for broken things
Even one little up-cycle project can provide so much enjoyment and empowerment, just knowing that you did this. You turned the unloved into something useful and saved it going to landfill. When one of my cats knocked over a pot in the conservatory I decided to use the broken pieces in a raised bed display to separate plants and help protect the soil from drying out. It’s made a lovely feature and is another example of waste not, want not.
Raise your own more resilient plants
By saving seed from some of your best performing edibles, you know that you can hone their strong plant traits for the following year and save money in the process. Look for the best taste, best ability to cope with conditions, such as drought and still be productive, and consider the quality overall. The most reliable (and easiest) true-to-type plants to save seed from include French beans, pea, lettuce, rocket, tomato and radish.
Eat outside at every opportunity
It doesn’t have to be fancy dining, just work with what you have. From a table and chairs or bench seating to al fresco dining with a picnic blanket laid on the ground. Enjoy the great outdoors at each and every opportunity and leave your long to-do lists behind. Simply sit and soak it all in. It’s so good for you.
More no-waste edibles
There are so many ideas for this, and here are another couple of ideas. Garlic scapes are delicious and can be used in many dishes, just as you would garlic. Also, pea pod wine anyone? There are so many exciting culinary opportunities using what could be deemed leftover garden ideas to relish and enjoy. Please write in and share some of your own home-grown ideas, we’d love to hear more and share them with others.
Garden stretching
It’s so important to look after ourselves and making time to stretch, be it just reaching up the sky, sitting on the ground stretching forward towards our toes, or more elaborate routines outdoors on a yoga mat, feels so incredibly good. It’s also good for your wellbeing and gardening overall (and can reduce the risk of injuries when digging or reaching when pruning). Do what works for you.
Wildlife watching
We should all make time for this as a priority right now. It’s arguably the most uplifting activity of all in the summer garden. It’s also amazing what you see when you make time to stop and observe and tune into the wonders of Mother Nature. The more you look, the more you see. Such as the hoverflies of all different sizes that get up close when you walk through their space. In my case it’s ‘Henry’, as I’ve called the hoverfly that has decided to move into my office in a free range capacity, drawn in by all the plants growing on the windowsill. Ruth Hayes has had the delight of sharing her garden with young hedgehogs these past days which she is writing about for the next issue. These simple pleasures bring so much joy on the ground.
Home-grown drinks
There are so many ways to enjoy the fruits (and herbs) of your garden in delicious and healthy drinks. From the more obvious mint, to thyme, rosemary, strawberries, blackcurrants and cucumber infused summer delights. Do share ideas of recipes you especially love creating with home-grown delights.
Feel-good freebies
It’s so exciting bagging a bargain, or a free item to enrich your garden. It feels like an especially wholesome delight right now so see what you find to work with. From garden centre discounts, to wood chip from a local tree surgeon, pallets to make compost bins with or plants swaps with friends.
Weeds – or new plant wins
A weed is often called a plant growing in the wrong place and it’s worthwhile making sure something is in need or removal before you hoe it out. It could be a lovely self-seeding herb or flower that might be useful somewhere else, so it’s worth checking if in doubt and seeing what you have found.
Let’s get jamming
Oh the sweet pleasure of a pot of simmering sweet-as-you-like jam made from freshly picked fruit. If you don’t have enough of one type of fruit, it’s fine to make a so-called garden jam with a mixture of fruits and berries. Strawberries and rhubarb go well together, some raspberries and berries mixed in. Why not experiment and see what lovely concoctions can be created from your garden. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that!
Find more tips, advice and articles like this at the Amateur Gardening website. Subscribe to Amateur Gardening magazine now
