After years of cyclically purchasing, watering, pruning, and ultimately killing houseplants, last year I finally accepted the fact that maybe I just didn’t have the green thumb I thought I did. That was until a friend told me of a couple of vacant spots available at the Demmler Park Community Garden. So, pushing aside my botanical-related self-doubt, I staked my claim to two 12-foot garden beds. By the end of the summer, I had enjoyed a season full of mulching, weeding, and harvesting, which resulted in many a garden salad crafted by my own supply of veggies, a pantry stocked with homemade pickles, and way too many tomatoes.

Now, one year removed from near-defeat, I’m beginning to design a blueprint for another year of fresh veggies. And while I may have killed another two house plants in the year that has passed, I’m not discouraged. The reward of growing something is so much more than the fruits and veggies themselves. It allows you to knock on your neighbor’s door and say, “Hey, I have a dozen too many tomatoes. Would you like one?” It’s a catalyst to get you outside throughout the spring and summer, even when your bed feels like a better option. If you don’t have a backyard or a garden plot, put something in a pot and grow it on your front steps, or on your back porch. You won’t regret it.

Spring is here – so grow something! And if it happens to die on you, so what? Grow something else!