I would never admit it to most, but I have been in love with the idea of gardening for a while. My stepmother kept a garden and I envied the peace it seemed to give her to grow things. I remember hiding behind the trellis that her Clematis snaked around and just watching her weed, plant, and nurture her blooms. I know she knew I was there, though she never really called me on it. She just started sharing her gardening tips with me as if she were just talking aloud. She’d even leave little pots and small plants out for me to practice on. There was an indescribable joy I had when she left out allium bulbs for me to plant. I did not know then, but it meant the world to me that there were beautiful plants that kind of looked like me (or at least they did back then when she would put soft, cottony afro puffs in my hair, one on each side of my head. That was the only time I had such a “revolutionary” style because my mom was not having it!). Anyway, I didn’t learn the “gardeners'” benefits of the flowering onion plant until later (plant destroying rodents aren’t fond of the breed), but alliums are still a staple in my garden today.
Twinsies! Little me (peep the sneakers? The only time I got to wear those too!) and beautiful purple allium blooms.
Living in an apartment does not allow me much space, but ever since I discovered my ‘green thumb’, there is not a container I won’t try to repurpose for planting. It surprised me really, but who knew I could really do this?!
I first got the idea to do repurpose planting from an interior designer friend. I was so upset that one of my rainboots was torn that I chucked them in the trash and left them behind in a huff. My friend knew how much I loved the boots, rescued them from the dump and planted a beautiful bouquet in my designer wellies. I still own those “planters,” but it started my obsession with planting beautiful things in items otherwise destined for destruction.
I collect old bottles — soda, wine, spirits — food jars, canned good tins, coffee tins, and just about anything else that will hold soil, water, and seeds. I revel in my ability to bring forth life through the plants and give new life to items that had seemed to outlive their usefulness. The collecting of items is the easy part, but one of my more interesting finds was creating a herb garden in a hanging shoe organizer.
The shoe organizer had the little pockets that were perfectly portioned for a little herb garden — there were enough spaces for 24 different plants! I planted chives, parsley, basil, coriander, marjoram, dill, mint, bay, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, tarragon, lemon grass, lavender, garlic, lettuce, spinach, and bok choy. I had to make sure to hang it away from the wood pilings because of the potential for rot, but the drainage holes I poked into each pocket seem to work well. They are just beginning to sprout, so we’ll see how well they grow. I’ll keep you all posted. I’m really kinda excited because I have a LIST of DIY cleaning and health care recipes I want to try with some of the herbs.
Speaking of trying new recipes, my potted beauties and tea tin buds are sprouting beautifully. Though I will admit, I did not have the patience to wait 2-3 years for the lemon trees to bear fruit, so I cheated a bit and ordered several fruiting trees. That was because I was so eager to begin making things with them! I haven’t repotted them, but they are thriving in the full sun on the patio. I picked a couple of fragrant fruits and can say I easily had ‘lemon’ on the brain. It wasn’t enough to do much, but I managed to get a batch of lemon sugar hand scrub I’d been eyeing. It works like a dream and was easy to create. I used the recipe I found here. I can’t wait to try more skincare recipes!
I have a some tending to do in my little Garden of Eden, so until next time.
Keep growing! 
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This is a fictional blog post for my character Mara, who blogs under the psuedonym “Emme”. She is a character for my Character Creation and Development class. We claim no credit for any images in this post unless; images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. Potted lemons trees(collage): HGTV.com; Hanging shoe organizer planter: http://www.urbanroots.org/garden-home/the-hanging-garden-2; Tea tin planters: The Micro Gardner; Alliums: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/418623727834106248/; Rainboot planters: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/advice/g1135/rainboot-planters/?slide=1; Bottle planters: http://bit.ly/23Kbvig; Sliced lemon: HDWYN.com; Potted lemon tree: Stark Brothers; Lemon sugar scrub: Living Well Spending Less.
Negro and Verde 