In Praise of Muddy Boots and Full Plates: Why Gardening Is Always Worth It

Spring is in the air, and seeds are ready to go in the ground.

How can I convince you to start a garden this year?

Imagine the possibilities.

Spring is a great time to resolve to try new things. I love the optimism of gardening. Take a handful of tiny specks—seeds that carry the genetic history of thousands of years of humans thoughtfully selecting from the most resilient, colorful, tasty or productive plants—and put them in the ground. In a month or two, those specks, tiny as the head of a pin and filled with genetic information, will produce huge bunches of lettuce, bowls of snap peas, green beans, red beets, and carrots.

People tell me how great my garden is. In reality, nature does all the work. I just drop those seeds in the ground, keep the weeds down as best I can, and then wait to harvest them. In our maritime climate, I don’t even have to water them for months.

When it’s too cold or wet or frozen to work in the yard, I can plan my garden. I spend time reading seed catalogs, gardening books, and looking at my favorite websites for new varieties of fruit trees or berry bushes. Check out “Fruit Trees for Every Garden” by Orin Martin. Figs do great in my yard. Maybe I should try a new variety? Or do I have too many peach trees? Maybe I should try a nectarine?

One great reason to squeeze in a food garden, whereever you live, is to save money. I read that food prices are up around 26% since 2020. The average gardener spends something like $70 a year on seeds and can harvest up to about $600 worth of food—even more if they have a winter garden. It doesn’t take much space; the average 4×4 garden plot can yield something like $160 worth of food.

Of course, it depends what you plant, and what you like to eat. I’m a big fan of fruit trees. They take relatively little work, you can squeeze them into almost any landscape, and even if you only have a deck or a front porch, there are varieties that do well in big pots.

Fruit trees and berries bear year after year, making them perennials I can count on with not much work. My home is on a lot that’s less than half an acre, and I have 29 fruit trees!

For inspiration, I’ve created this list of what I pull out of my garden in one year:

Berries: strawberries, blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries, and kiwis (if you count kiwi as a berry).

Fruit: Four kinds of apples: Melrose, Bramley, Akane, and an heirloom Johnny Appleseed. Be sure to net the trees to keep the dreaded apple maggot from ruining your fruit. I also have two Asian pear trees, four European and Asian plum trees, seven kinds of peaches, one nectarine, two persimmon trees, three fig trees of two varieties, crabapples, and four sour pie cherry trees.

Veggies: artichokes, leeks, potatoes, peas, carrots, beets, tomatillos, beans, fava beans, red runner beans, zucchini, summer squash, hubbard squash, delicata squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, tomatoes (6-8 varieties), green peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, turnips, kohlrabi, kale, broccoli rabe, asparagus, celery, onions, green beans, lettuce, bok choy, arugula, sunflower seeds, and the occasional successful watermelon.

Herbs: oregano, marjoram, sage, thyme, parsley, garlic, rosemary, fennel, sweet bay leaf, and way more mint than I need.

I work in the garden year round. I tend a winter garden of veggies that like our maritime climate such as kale, parsley, carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, leeks, potatoes underground, bok choy, and celery. If I am going to do the work of the garden, why let the soil lay fallow and unproductive in the winter?

There is always something coming out of the garden. Berries and fruit for yogurt, snacking, or desserts. Veggies for dinner or beautiful salads, complete with fresh calendula or borage flowers. Potatoes for roasting or baking. It’s truly an abundance of choices.

It may seem like gardening is a solitary occupation, but I actually grow more than my husband and I can eat, so we invite friends over for dinner a lot. I give away a good amount of produce to family and friends, often with a recipe or two on how to use them. Adding fruits and veggies to your diet is easier if someone gives you a tried-and-true recipe.

What we can’t eat immediately, like 18 cups of huckleberries or 60 cups of blueberries, gets frozen or canned into treats like huckleberry syrup, blueberry-rhubarb jam, or fresh berry ice cream. I make homemade vinegars that add a splash of flavor to every meal. I can more jams, jellies and pickles than we can eat, so I pass those jars of summertime goodness onto family and friends, and to the dedicated staff at the Northwest Kidney Centers Yesler clinic, who take care of the most vulnerable and fragile of all their patients.

This year I think I’ll keep track of how many homemade bouquets I get out of the garden. Surely that saves me money too, and brings me a lot of joy. One of the registered dietitians at Northwest Kidney Centers pointed out to me that every photograph of a really attractive room in architectural magazines has a bouquet of flowers in it, and she is right. Flowers on the table make your meal taste even better.

Below are some recipes to help you through the spring season, when everything is green and growing. If you don’t have a garden from which to pick greens, flowers and over-wintered carrots, I hope you’ll consider adding a fruit tree or berry bush. If you don’t have any spare spot to tuck in a few veggies, consider the city of Seattle Pea Patch program, or seek out your local farmers markets, which will be overflowing with greens this time of year.

Violet Green Salad

2-3 cups of mixed spring lettuce, spinach, early beet greens, dandelion leaves

½ diced cucumber

1 cup snap or frozen peas

½ cup of goat cheese mixed with chive flowers (optional)

½ cup unsalted almonds or hazelnuts

1 pear, diced

20-50 blooms: violets, rosemary flowers, calendula, flowering currant, etc. (as long as you don’t spray your plants with pesticides).

Tear lettuce and greens into bite-size pieces. Cut cucumber into disks, then quarter. Cut snap peas in pods into thirds. If using frozen peas, thaw at room temperature for half an hour. Dice pear and add to lettuce. Mix goat cheese with chive flowers if you have some, then cut or portion into ½ inch pieces and scatter over salad with nuts and flowers. Serves 4.

Nutritional information (per serving): calories: 212, carbohydrates: 11 grams, protein: 11 grams, sodium: 127 mg

Glazed Carrots

6 carrots, cut on bias

1/2 cup of water

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Black pepper to taste

Bring carrots, water and 1 tablespoon sugar to boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering 5 minutes. Uncover and reduce 1-2 minutes. Add butter and remaining sugar. Stir for about 3 minutes. Remove and add lemon juice. Serves 4 as a side.

Nutritional information: calories: 101, carbohydrates: 19 grams, protein: 1 gram, sodium: 68 mg

Fiona’s Sautéed Fresh Greens

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onion, sliced thin

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon sugar

¾ pound (4 cups firmly packed) greens. Choose from: mustard, collard, kale, Swiss chard, beet greens or mixed

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

½ cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

¼- ½ teaspoon each of sesame oil and sesame seeds

Cut greens into 2-inch long shreds. Heat oil in wok or large fry pan. Sauté onion until translucent, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle turmeric over onion, let cook another 2 minutes. Add greens and leave lid off for about 5 minutes. Add sugar and cover. Reduce heat and let greens steam in their own juices until tender, about 5-8 minutes. (During this time, uncover and turn occasionally; add a little water if sticking.) Remove greens with a slotted spoon, leaving juices in pan. Add soy sauce and vinegar to liquid and heat to boiling. When it has thickened slightly, remove from pan and pour sauce over greens. Garnish with sesame oil and seeds. Serves 4.

Nutrient information (per serving): calories: 51, carbohydrates: 4 g, protein: 1 g, sodium: 100 mg

Eating Well, Living Well classes

Studies show that working with a registered dietitian can delay kidney failure and postpone dialysis for longer than two years. Free nutrition classes taught by Katy’s former team of registered dietitians are available at convenient times and locations around Puget Sound.

Eating Well, Living Well classes teach people how to eat healthier to slow the progress of kidney disease and postpone dialysis. Learn more at www.nwkidney.org/classes.

Contributor Katy G. Wilkens is a retired registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. The National Kidney Foundation Council on Renal Nutrition has honored her with its highest awards for excellence in education and for significant contributions in renal nutrition. She has also been awarded the Medal of Excellence in kidney nutrition from the American Association of Kidney Patients.