"Knowing where your food comes from can change your life."
- Alice Waters
#tawfikathome
|
From our 1/4 acre plot to our city rooftop garden, I have always felt the need to connect with the food I place on people's plates. Each time I sink my hands into soil and begin digging in the dirt (to quote the amazing Peter Gabriel), I learn. I grow. And, I am forever curious. When beginning our family, it was so important to my partner, Christine and I, that our children grow up understanding where their food comes from, and the time, love, and energy that goes into growing it. Seeing their excitement for a new sprout that's popped up in their greenhouse, or witnessing the delight on their faces when they tasted their first strawberry from their own plant is highly contagious. Our roots.
|
#tawfikdigginginthedirt
#tawfikandthebees
We moved out of Toronto to Caledon a few years ago. As we stared at a new backyard that was void of greenry, mostly swallowed up by a pool and landscaping grey rock, we were determined to add colour, life, and to grow our little backyard "farm"! I set to work building custom container beds with a cold frame system for early plantings. We squeezed plants in every crack and corner we could find. We took over the kitchen with a greenhouse system, teaching our kids how to grow plants from seeds. Now, in the summer, the garden is in charge of the space and YOU have to step around it! As we enter our 5th year of backyard gardening, we are proud to say our little patch is flourishing! But, it wasn't always.
During our second year of building our garden, we planted 3 varietals of blueberries and we gobbled up the bounty. The following year, not so much. Our entire garden seemed to be struggling to produce and at the end of the season, we knew we had a problem. Looking back on it now, our problem became an amazing educational opportunity for our little ones. We brainstormed together and hypothesized that we needed more pollinators! Last year, we welcomed our Mason Bees to our slice of earth. You know that expression, busy as a bee?! Well, it is 200% accurate. Those little workers got down to business and our garden exploded! This spring, we have added additional Mason Bees (early spring pollinators) and Leafcutter Bees (summer pollinators) to our mix. We have also added milkweeds for our butterflies and wildflowers throughout our gardens. There's still nothing better than standing after a long day of work, hose in one hand and cold beer in the other. Welcome to our patch. Psst! Check out our amazing video of the Hummingbird Clear Wing Moth ... a beautiful pollinator that visited our hood last year. #tawfikontheroad |
|