We have been fortunate to have space for a garden where we live most of the the places we’ve lived. When we were looking for a home in southern California, space to grow food was a high priority.

Being able to grow food year-round has been wonderful. I’m still learning what does best in cooler temps and what grows fantastically in the summer heat, and have had some great successes.

Being vegan, one may think I eat veggies all of the time. Some days I need to work at it. Having a garden helps!

We just harvested some more zucchini, squash, and cherry tomatoes. We have been blown away by the amount of zucchini we’ve gotten so far. Our local nursery folks tell us that it’s because of the heat. Also, I planted it in an area that has always done well. Last year we had an amazing amount of watermelon.

If you have a little space in your yard, or even on your patio, I definitely recommend growing food. Even if you’re in an apartment and only have a small balcony, you can grow herbs and a bunch of different veggies.

I love being able to go out into the garden and pick food for lunch or dinner. I also love being able to supply some of our own food, and offer extras to neighbors.

Mike likes taking fresh produce and creating dishes, or baked goods. Here you have zucchini bread and zucchini cakes. He made these from the zucchini in the above photo.

If you currently don’t grow any of your own food and want to give it a try, check out your local nursery for tips. Ours can be super helpful. Of course the world wide web can be helpful, especially with ideas for your specific geographic location.

As a food activist, I also think growing your own food supports our work in food justice. There are many food justice organizations that offer great ideas around creating space to grow your own food.

Do you have a garden?

Thanks for reading!

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Go vegan. Vote. Be kind.