Gardening adds years to you life....

...And life to your years. I woke up a few mornings ago with the overwhelming urge to harvest my aeroponic vertical garden and start cooking!

There is something EXTREMELY rewarding about having a garden, whether dirt or water. With a garden, there are so many reasons why are good for your mind and soul. The entire process allows your body and mind to become one with nature through the power of plants. It's a fundamental action, able to be taught to the young and young at heart, that produces such elaborate and sustaining results. Through the basic and intuitive step of preparation, planting, feeding, nurturing and caring for a garden, from seed/seedling to harvest, the gardener gives and receives a sense of compassion, understanding, commitment, wonderment, responsibility, awe and accomplishment.

This past weekend, my ABUNDANT harvest allowed me to prepare so many flavorful items that I thought I'd share with you now. One thing that I have ALWAYS told my potential TowerGarden clients is "only plant what you love because you will be eating A LOT of it." Case in point this weekend; basil, roma, tomatoes, cantaloupe and 3 variety of peppers were taking over and needed to be dealt with. My solution, homemade salsa, pesto, tomato basil tarts and sliced cantaloupe for dessert.

Having a garden right outside my back door has also been an awesome resource for my family before we knew what was truly happening with our grocery stores in mid-March and early April. The sense of calm that overcame me knowing I had fresh herbs, greens, strawberries and veggies for my family at my fingertips was a blessing I never knew I had.

I'm not going to lie, it's NOT the easiest tool in the world to close the sales deal on when asked how much they cost. Most gasp, others shake there heads NO an the other go silent, never to be heard from again. I get it! To most it's a WANT vs. a NEED. The crazy phenomena is that once you have one, one realizes how much of a NEED it truly is because the value has increased and the mindset has changed.

These TowerGarden's are TOOLS. Tools used in/for the home, the kitchen, the classroom, the nursing homes, the restaurants and I'm still working on the aquariums! And the even greater gift from this tool, is it offers some, a Plan B; an opportunity to make extra money for their family, an entrepreneurial experience, the financial freedom, a gift to be shared.

At the beginning stages of SoDP, there was NEVER a moment that a greenhouse would be apart of this project. It, to me, was a no brain-er. The opportunity to grow fresh, nutrient dense produce, indoors and out NEEDED to be shared with EVERY body. It just makes sense! Fruits and vegetables are gluten free, help heal from the inside out and can be used to educate and empower, how could we not?

Now, more than ever, I know and it has been reinforced, in a recent conversation, that the Greenhouse at SoDP will be changing lives for the better.

For more information, recipes or if you have questions, please reach out! Until next time, if you don't have one, get one! TER.TowerGarden.com because Together, EVERY body. Receives. ***100% of all proceeds from this website goes to support SoDP and the Greenhouse. -Until next time, jamie : )