Digging in to grow some good in partnership with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day! Learn how you can make a difference in your own community.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. All opinions stated here are my own.
Four years ago, when we were living in Washington, just outside of Seattle, my family and I joined a local community garden. I wanted to grow my own fruits and vegetables and get involved with the community. We were new to the area and I knew this would be a great way to get to know some of my neighbors and plant my own garden.
The garden was huge and fenced in so I knew we would be able to grow an abundance of fresh, organic produce . . . what I didn’t realize was how much of an impact this community garden would have on my children.
Once we had our assigned garden plot and could start planting, my family and I went to go pick our starter plants. My kids each got to pick some of their favorites: tomatoes, snap peas and blueberries, just to name a few. I planted all of my favorite herbs: rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro and parsley. We were all involved in planting and my kids and I went back almost every day to visit, water and chat with our friends and neighbors. This community garden was within walking distance from our house so it was perfect. Not only were we planting our own fruits and vegetables and growing some of our food but we were driving less and walking more.
Over the summer, my children were amazed to see their tomato plants growing and would squeal with delight if they saw a cherry tomato, blueberry or snap pea. “We grew this!” We enjoyed lots of salads, sautéed veggies and – my kids’ favorite – homemade salsa with tortilla chips that summer. Our tomatoes grew like crazy! It was truly amazing.
I love that our garden taught my children the little things we could do as a family to help make our Earth a greener place.
When we moved to Wisconsin, my husband’s company had a large plot of land that they divided up to employees so we could start our own community garden. My kids were so excited that we were going to be able to plant and grow again. And this time, because we were living in Wisconsin, where it’s cold for several months out of the year, we used a hydrofarm to start growing our seeds down in our basement. Our kids were amazed. I love that through this whole process, they started to learn how to grow produce and that food does not come from a box!
This year, I feel like spring never really came to Wisconsin because the weather has been so unpredictable and cold but we are gearing up for our community garden again in June and we got a head start on our herb garden here at the house.
Our plot at the community garden will be pretty large but I still wanted to have some essential herbs here at my house, so my girls and I got to work!
We spaced out all of our herbs, filled our planter with potting soil, and then planted and watered everything. We got a little messy but it was so much fun!
We like to take a little bit of what we love from our garden outside and bring a little of that magic inside. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® scents are inspired by a Midwest garden (just like ours) and are made with plant-derived ingredients and essential oils to make products that are powerful against dirt and grime. Added bonus: they smell so good! It is the brand we love, use and buy. From their multi-surface everyday cleaners, laundry detergents and hand soaps to their room fresheners and candles, we love and use it all!
Mrs. Meyer’s recently partnered with the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) to encourage people to get out and plant in their own gardens and communities! For every online order placed at Mrs.Meyers.com from May 15th – June 5th, $5 will be donated to the ACGA, up to $10,500, to help grow gardens in select cities and customers will also receive a free basil seed planting paper (while supplies last!) to grow a little green on their own!!
So, what are you waiting for?! Get shopping and planting!
Stay tuned for more gardening photos over the summer! We can’t wait to show you what we’re planting and growing in our community garden.
