As many of my patients know, Lisa and I are avid gardeners. For many years I have enjoyed growing our own food and have felt that gardening was a natural way to promote personal and planetary well-being. Being close to the earth and understanding the rhythms of nature is an essential part of Chinese medicine so gardening has always been more than a hobby of a way to eat fresh vegetables.
We begin in February with indoor seed starts and spreading our own kitchen compost and preparing beds. By May our bulbs and fruit trees are blossoming and we’re getting early crops such as asparagus, peas, parsley, lettuce and spinach. Now we’re near mid-July and everything (including weeds) is in full summer bloom. Peppers, tomatoes, green beans, kale, chard, potatoes and other veggies are ready to harvest. A plethora of cucumbers, squash, string beans and beets will overtake our garden soon. The high energetic quality of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables is so much better than supermarket produce. If the chipmunks and birds are willing to share, we’ll have plenty of raspberries and blueberries soon. The colors of dahlias, hibiscus, mandevilla, lilies, zinnias and other flowers grace our yard. We’re happy to share our bounty with friends and our local food bank.
