When she gets home from a day of work at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the first thing Catherine Carmichael does is visit her garden. “It’s what I do. I’ll always check on it, see what is ready to be picked, what needs to be weeded,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll get my kids to come join me out there.”
As a registered dietitian, Carmichael spends a lot of time thinking about what motivates people to seek out and create more nutritionally dense meals. During National Nutrition Month, which this year explores the theme “Food Connects Us,” Carmichael is highlighting the ways gardening can help us to build direct connections with our food, enabling us to invest in the process, before we enjoy the bounty.
“You see how long it takes to grow, what is required—sun, soil, and water,” she said. “Having a garden can be very inspiring when it comes to changing your way of eating.”
It is also a great way of connecting with others, she pointed out. “It’s an opportunity for a family or group of friends to come and work together.”
Why Grow My Own Food When I Can Find It at the Store?
According to Carmichael, one of the principal benefits to eating from one’s own garden comes from minimizing the distance traveled between your plate and where the food was grown. The greater the distance (and time) a food spends in transit, the higher the likelihood that its nutritional value will have been diminished—by preservatives, chemicals, and other additives required to help it survive the long journey and appear appetizing in a grocery store setting. “If you want more control over what you are putting into your body, then growing some of your favorite fruits and vegetables is a great option to reduce your reliance on the store,” she said.
(Pro tip: If you can’t grow something on your own, or would simply prefer not to, another great way to reduce distance between field and fork is to source your fruits and vegetables from growers at your local farmers’ market.)
Beyond the nutritional benefits, gardening is good for you, too. “It can be terrific for stress relief,” said Carmichael. “And it’s also fun! Gardening can be incredibly satisfying. We spend so much time looking at screens, it’s an opportunity to put technology down for a minute and step into nature.”
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Planting Planning Chart 1
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Planting Planning Chart 2
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Planting Planning Chart 3
Planning Your Garden
When setting out to establish a garden, the first thing new gardeners should consider is space. “You need space for the plants to grow, you need soil, you need sun, and you need water,” said Carmichael.
Options like container gardening and raised beds can offer more flexibility for people with limited yard space, or limited access to sunlight. Today, she grows her vegetables in raised cinder block beds. “I think a lot of people get overwhelmed by gardening and think you need all this space,” she said. “But you can grow a tomato plant in a five-gallon bucket. And herbs and spices are great, even for apartment dwellers—and can really change the way you prepare your food and eat.”
Once the space is prepped, Carmichael advises sketching out a plan before planting. “I always do that, because I tend to plant more stuff than the amount of space I have will allow. Then it gets crowded and messy. And that can attract pests.”
What Should I Grow?
“I think the thing with being a gardener, whether you’re new or seasoned, is that it all depends on how patient you are,” said Carmichael. There are some plants—like radishes, for instance, or green beans, that produce quickly. Others, like lettuce, should be planted early in the spring, so that you can enjoy the harvest before it gets too hot.
Some of Carmichael’s favorite crops to grow include Tuscan kale, Swiss chard, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant. You want to plant things you’ll actually eat, Carmichael advised, and things that are versatile. Tomatoes, for instance, can be used in a salad, a tomato sauce, or salsa. Green beans can be cooked or blanched or eaten fresh.
Some great local resources that Carmichael regularly relies on when planning her garden include the LSU AgCenter’s Vegetable Planting Guide and the seed libraries at Central Branch Library, Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library, and the Main Library at Goodwood—which not only share free seeds, but provide information on how to use them, too.
From Seed to Plate
Carmichael’s garden feeds directly into her work as a dietitian at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The seeds she’s planting inspire the healthy, balanced, and nutritious meals she educates on, and the research she conducts motivates her to get back into the garden as soon as she gets home.
Integrating a garden into your life can be a huge first step in making healthier choices, and Pennington Biomedical has the resources to help you along the journey.
Learn more about the research and initiatives conducted at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at www.pbrc.edu/getinvolved.
