Growing with your garden is something that will naturally take place as each season passes. The garden is full of learning opportunities if you are open to seeing them and learning from them. The garden can be a refuge, but it can also be a great teacher. No two seasons are the same, which means there is always something to learn from. Taking a beginners mind approach to gardening can offering many growing opportunities as a gardener. 

Some ways you will grow in your garden:

• Killing Plants – One thing you should know if you want to be a great gardener is that you will definitely kill plants, lots and lots of plants. It’s inevitable, but it is also one of the best ways to get better at gardening. I can not tell you how many plants I have killed over the years for various reasons, with each one teaching me a lesson or telling me something about the garden. 
• Making Mistakes – As with learning anything new, we are bound to make mistakes along the way. Just as with killing plants, making mistakes offers up a huge opportunity to grow with our gardens. Whether it is watering too much or too little, pest invasions, seedling mistakes or some other garden growing mistake, it is a chance to learn and grow.
• Confidence Building – For every garden flop or fail there are many more successes happening at the same time. Yes, you may have killed that cilantro by planting it in the wrong season with too much heat, but think about all the other plants that are thriving! For every harvest it’s an opportunity to take note of what has been achieved and celebrate all the wonderful moments and successes.

There are a few ways to help you grow with your garden to ensure success sooner than later:

• Grow Many Plants – Growing as many plants as you can take care of at any one point will help when you’ve lost a plant for whatever reason. Each plant is an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for success.
• Find A Mentor – Whether it’s someone in social media, online or in person, finding a mentor with a gardening system or method that fits how you’d like to grow can be beneficial beyond measure. Look around and see what methods fit and what doesn’t. I suggest giving a full season to one specific mentor and really learning their methods before trying something else. (Make sure you like their way of growing first.)
• Deep Dive Into Education – There is so much information out there for gardening it can be quite overwhelming, but select a specific topic that you want to learn about. After you choose a topic, really take a deep dive and learn as much as you can about it. Once you have done that, choose another topic. Gardening is a lifelong learning experience.

The garden is a fantastic teacher, especially when we are open to learning and growing with it. There is so much to learn that it can take an entire lifetime and there will still more to learn. Keep in mind that every single gardener gardens in their own unique way, even if they are following a mentor. Every single garden is completely unique, spaces within a garden are unique. Take the time to get to know your growing area and don’t be afraid to kill plants, make mistakes and build your confidence. Grow as many plants as you can take care of, deep dive into education and find a mentor to learn from. Be proud of every success, acknowledge them and show gratitude. Soon you will be doing this beyond the garden! Don’t be afraid to try new methods, new mentors, new spaces in your growing space. Explore, experiment and have fun!