May 24 long weekend is pretty nostalgic for most. It marks the start of all major outdoor activities, such as camping and fishing, but in British Columbia it also marks the beginning of our gardening season. In my wildest dreams I would never have thought that I would be writing a blog about my Victoria Day long weekend gardening experience. This is particularly true because my most memorable May long weekends are out in the middle of nowhere camping with friends or surfing on the west coast of Vancouver Island. To all of the people I know that got out there into the wild this year, I commend you. The adventure era of my life, although not forgotten, has been put on hold this May 24 long weekend because Emily and I are gardening! We are growing an assortment of things, including peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cilantro, basil, parsley, sage, lettuce, strawberries and sunflowers. We are also growing a host of flowers that will bloom through out the spring and summer season. Although there are a lot of cool things about gardening, one of the most significant is getting in contact with nature. Similar to my previous experiences with Victoria Day, hiking deep into the woods or getting pounded by the surf, gardening puts you face to face with nature, in a slightly different light. Some of the baby plants we put into the ground are so delicate. Planting seeds at the right depth and distance is important, but its also important to consider the germination potential of the seeds themselves. Not all seeds are likely to produce a plant so it’s best to put a few in the ground at each spot to maximize the likelihood of growing something. Aside from being very relaxing, I believe the most significant health benefit of gardening is likely through the power of grounding your body to the earth. Gardening provides people with the ability to “unplug”, not only through purging emotional baggage but also by dumping built up electromagnetic electricity from the body. It is fairly clear that we build up electrons in our cells that need to be released into the environment. This mostly happens because of being constantly insulated from the earth via rubber and concrete. By walking barefoot, swimming in natural water resources, or planting your hands on the earth, this allows our electromagnetic fields to rebalance. In the end, I think the coolest thing about gardening is the fact that about 20 dollars in plants and seeds is likely to grow me hundreds of dollars worth of organic veggies, herbs and fruits! Awesome!
