Published on August 12, 2024
Gardening is a perfect way to connect with nature. But for hopeful gardeners of all ages, getting started can feel a bit intimidating.
Maybe your family has tried gardening before but struggled to grow the plants you wanted, or perhaps it feels overwhelming with all the things you need to buy — soil, tools, seeds, pots, lights and even more!
There are as many ways to garden as there are people and plants in the city, and there are just as many definitions of a successful garden. For the Evergreen Brick Works gardening team, success is defined by how well we can connect to and support the space around us within the heart of one of Toronto’s greatest greenspaces, the Don River Valley. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to grow a few veggies either.
Here are some activities and questions from our gardening team to get gardeners of all sizes and ages started on your garden and connected to nature.
Your environment is the most important guideline for what kind of garden you can have. We gardeners even have a mantra: “The right plant for the right place.”
So, what kind of place do you have? Whether you’re working with a balcony, a community garden plot or a full backyard, try the following activity to engage your and your kids’ senses.
Sometimes we think of ourselves, and our homes, as islands separated from those around us; but in nature, everything is connected. Birds, bugs and animals are especially reliant on connections between greenspaces as they move between sources of food and shelter; to them a rushing road can be as impassable as a rushing river can be to us.
For your garden, think about what kind of nature is already around you, and how you garden can be a bridge to that nature.
While many factors contribute to a thriving garden, plants and the soil they depend on are the foundation for everything that follows. Consider the plants around you with these questions in mind:
Now that we’ve spent a lot of time thinking and feeling in our space, it’s time to start doing! Again, there are a lot of ways to have a garden; if classic vegetables have failed to thrive before, think about what else might grow in your space.
Having spent time in our own gardens, it’s important to regularly venture out and check back in with the greenspaces around us. Here are some great ways to interact with public nature spaces:
Learn more
A connection with nature increases children’s physical, mental and social development while also opening up the potential to be the next generation of advocates for the natural world. Read more about we’re reconnecting children to nature.
Want to get your hands dirty with the Evergreen Brick Works gardening team? Consider joining our regular weekly volunteer sessions.
