Tag Archives: urban gardening

The Pleasure of a Porch

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As soon as the weather hits double digits (Celsius), you’ll find me on my porch with my dog drinking coffee and soaking up that early spring sun. After being cooped up indoors all winter, it’s an experience that I look forward to every year. I always find the first hint of spring to be restorative. It’s a time where I can get excited about all of the events and projects that come with a new season.

Spring is relatively short in this part of the world but even so, it doesn’t take long for my porch to become a hubbub of activity. Already some of my plants are showing new growth and some of my neighbours are following my example and joining me for coffee when the weather is right (six feet apart, of course). It gets even busier during the summertime. My dog and I will spend many an afternoon gardening, sunbathing, writing, reading or merely relaxing. A whole day can go by without me leaving the porch; it usually starts with my morning coffee and ends with a glass of wine with friends.

This will be my eighth spring in this apartment and so far I’ve never been bored. (In fact, I love my porch so much I’ve written about my dreams and plans for it several years in a row: here, here and here.) I’m already anticipating the fun I will have this summer working on and enjoying my little green space in the city.

If you have a porch, balcony or other outdoor space I encourage you to take advantage of it as much as you can this spring and summer. It can be an opportunity to change your routine or environment (even if it means stepping outside for just a couple of minutes). For those of you who don’t have an outdoor space, even just taking a few plants and making your own green sanctuary indoors can do wonders for your well-being and mental health.

Whatever you decide to do this spring and summer, wherever you end up spending it, I hope you make the most of the season!

What are your plans for your outdoor space this year? Comment below or drop me a line at keepingbusyb@gmail.com and tell me all of your hopes and dreams for your outdoor space. Looking for inspiration? I’ve got tons of ideas over on Pinterest.

Porch 7.0

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I have never been a winter person so this time of year is always special to me. The season wouldn’t be so special to me, however, if I didn’t have my own slice of nature in the middle of a parking lot somewhere in Toronto; a sliver of green among all the stone and brick. The city has lots of natural spaces to explore (parks, ravines, beaches) but there’s something about having control over one’s own little microcosm that feels powerful and energizing.

I’ve never been much of a gardener but after seven years of living in the same place I’ve managed to learn a lot. (Some of which I’ve shared here and here.) It’s a different kind of responsibility but one that I take on every year gladly. I won’t lie and say that I know what I’m doing; in fact, my garden is one of the few area of my life that I try not to research to death. Instead of looking for answers in a book or online, I try hard to listen to what my plants need. (Even though when I put it that way it sounds a little kooky.)

For example, there was no book that could tell me my raspberry bushes were going to bear fruit until October. (It’s true!) But to be fair, there was no book that told me the bushes were even going to last growing in pots. These, and other little happy surprises, are what make gardening so interesting to me. Nature makes up its own rules; you’re just kind of there to nurture and follow along as you go.

My garden adventures don’t stop at plants either: besides having planted flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits and herbs, my little porch now also boasts a hummingbird feeder which has yet to attract any birds but provides a nice rest stop to the many bees and butterflies that have come to visit.

In some ways my garden has become a sanctuary to all. People, animals, birds, insects-the garden is a perfect way to experience all the harmony that is in our world. The rule on my porch is that we all belong.

Except for the squirrels. Cute, but not welcome.