I meet many inspirational people in my daily work and I also search relentlessly throughout the Internet, looking for inspiration.
Sometimes inspiration is hard to find. Sometimes supposed new ideas are just a rehash of the same old stuff, but every once in awhile my explorations lead me to some interesting ideas and places, and what follows are a few ideas that hold promise in my garden and maybe yours.
Growing micro-greens indoors: This is by no means a new idea, but within the context of growing food security concerns, growing some form of food indoors holds promise. Micro-greens are essentially seedlings that are edible; think: bean sprouts. It is easier than you think to grow tasty sprouts at home. Use clean growing containers, any tray for seedlings or a fancy pot but they must be clean to prevent seedling infection. Use sterilized soil from a garden centre or a mixture of homemade compost with perlite added for drainage. Situate the container in a bright south or west facing window or under grow lights. Choose your seedling according to what you like to eat. Basil seedlings are tasty, bean sprouts are nice once in awhile but there's also mustard, cabbage, arugula and many other seedlings to eat. Sow the seeds on top of prepared soil and cover lightly with soil. Water gently and wait for growth. Do not fertilize young seedlings or they will burn or grow too fast and crash. Harvest the seedlings when they have developed their seedling leaves and have grown a few inches tall.
Street art for the garden: This may seem like an unconventional idea but repurposing ideas can work wonders in the garden. I'm not talking about spray painting or graffiti. From Warsaw, Poland comes street artist NeSpoon who works in different mediums like spray paint, concrete, macramé and ceramics, but she uses crocheted doilies as patterns for her art. You might think this is a silly idea but her use of crocheted doilies to provide pattern for paint or for impressions leads to some visually stunning creations. One such creation involves using some form of malleable ceramic or clay and pushing it into cracks and gaps in the sidewalk then impressing a doily onto the clay's surface and removing the doily to leave an intricate pattern on the surface. You can use a Google image search to look for her work or find photos at her blog: behance.net/nespoon. NeSpoon calls it "The jewellery of the public space." She would like for people who randomly discover her small applications to smile and just simply feel better.
Repurposing: Generally known as upcycling, this rising trend involves reusing, adapting or repurposing old items, unwanted items or any object by converting it to a new use. There are many examples of this across the world particularly in fashion, i.e. making a purse out of old jeans or leather. There are far too many examples for me to discuss herein but one interesting example of repurposing was found on the local blog of Shelley Levis at sowanddipity.com. Levis uses gourds as fall planters to create intricate and colorful creations. As Levis puts it, "I have a new addiction - gourds! Big ones, little ones, orange and green, red and yellow, and especially blue and white ones. The more warty and crooked the better."
Gourds are not edible but as Levis says, "There's plenty of crops grown for other uses besides consumption. Gourds have been grown for centuries for ornamental use, as vessels to carry water, for storing food and supplies, and for making tools, artistic works or musical instruments."
Her technique is simple.
Just cut a hole into the gourd (usually its side), hollow out the interior, poke a drainage hole, add some soil and plant in a pansy, aster or whatever suits your taste. These short-term creations are colourful, inexpensive and a reflection of the user's personality and creativity.
Those examples are only a small sampling of the possibilities that are out there. But for many people creating anything is too far out of their comfort zone to even contemplate starting.
There's an interesting quote I heard recently that might help motivate your creativity: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."
And to further invigorate your own sense of creativity without being scared of what the neighbours might think, I read an interesting story by Abby Palmer on her website greenslate.ca. Palmer wrote in her story First Steps on the Path to Nature Writing, "A child can only blame her parent for so long before she must pluck up the courage to journey into the dark forest, individuate from her family of origin - from her culture, if necessary - and carve out a life that sings to her own ears."
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist, garden designer and builder, teacher, skills trainer and organic advocate. For advice contact him at [email protected].
