Parenting is a delicate balance between dedicating yourself and your time to the things your kid needs and keeping your own bucket full. For me, maintaining a personal green space was a large part of my free time prior to the arrival of my daughter Georgia.
I remember my first IUA Plant Sale experience in 2017. I was several seasons into rehabilitating a small, wildflower garden bed in the backyard of my Broadripple bungalow. I was elated to find a variety of garden staples and to source them from such a quality and worthy cause. I had the time to spare for experimenting with my garden bounty – fried cucumber flowers as an example.
I told everyone I knew about the sale and petitioned to my fellow gardeners to leave Lowe’s in the past.
Even when Georgia was fist born I still broke off to the annual Indy Urban Acres Plant Sale for some potting herbs and flowers. My family growth spurred a shift in location. My mother took over my cozy bungalow and Georgia, my two dogs, and I headed just outside of the village to a sprawling ranch on an acre plot.
It is no surprise to my friends and family that I have big dreams for the yard space of my new home. After 2 years of non-gratifying grunt work on the yard itself I am still focused on potted herbs and flowers. This past year, I introduced my mother and daughter to the IUA Plant Sale. Lovingly, my mom has vowed to keep my bungalow garden growing and together this year we focused on salsa ripe tomatoes, peppers and basic greens.
Georgia had a fine time walking through the rows of starters and reciting her known plants. We got her buy in on selecting what tomatoes to bring home to granny’s garden and watched her proudly carry them to the car. The two have spent many post school hours harvesting from the garden and joyfully presenting me our salsa contents.
There is so much to be said about our connection to soil… it is bliss. The IUA Plant Sale will be an annual event for my family.
My hope is that in the next few seasons it will fuel two gardens. My bucket overflows when I can work on my personal green space next to my daughter. I so appreciate what the Indy Urban Acres is doing for the surrounding community and the opportunity it has given many to dig in to Mother Earth.