What a gorgeous summer we just had! There are just so many things to love about this time of year: the smell of a freshly-mowed lawn, the brightness of a cloudless blue summer sky, the feel of warm sand between your toes, the sounds of oh-so-many chatty birds. Oh, and the pleasure we can get from all the fun outdoors activities that we can engage in.
One such activity? Working the soil to see what we can grow. We recently caught up with one such avid gardener: Our very own Kelli Locke, Account Manager-Commercial Lines.
Kelli began gardening at her first home in Portland when her son was just 15 months old. It was very small, and consisted of some pole beans, snap peas, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs. You can just imagine her little one hiding amongst these tall pole beans, giggling as he grabbed a green bean here and a cherry tomato there. That was to become one of her fondest memories, and marked a turning point for her and her husband. They just knew right then that this was going to be a long-time hobby for them.
And it has certainly been just that! At their current home in Saco, they now have 14 raised beds, a composting area, and perennial flower gardens scattered throughout, providing gorgeous blooms and amazing scents. Kelli’s favorite spot, where you may find her sitting on her favorite gardening stool, is between the taller plants like the green leafy pole beans and bright red tomatoes. She says they provide some much needed shade and quiet time. Usually her dog Beans is right by her side waiting for me to feed him green beans and anything else she is willing to share.
Kelli didn’t always have a green thumb, and she admits she killed many plants during her trial-and-error process. She says, “Even a bad year is one you can learn from. She takes gardening classes and reads books to keep learning, and she keeps a journal handy to help her remember what not to do again, or what works best for certain plants. Each year she and her husband plant their usual staples, then kick it up with a few new varieties of crispy vegetables or color-popping flowers.
When asked what inspires her to keep gardening, Kelli replied “Being in the garden is very calming for me. I get some of my best ideas while I am gardening, whether it be a design project for the house, a fun place to visit with the family or a new recipe to try. My head is always clear after an hour in the garden and I leave the garden with a lot of energy.”
“It is my self-care and feeds my creativity. I also have met a lot of people in our neighborhood that stop by and chat with me while I am grabbing weeds and splitting roots. I’m not from this area, so it’s been really nice to meet our neighbors and build a community. And then there's the practical side for my family: We love eating the food we grow! We make fresh sauces, spicy salsas, crisp pickles, creamy apple butter, and homemade applesauce. We also make our own herb seasonings and teas. We really use as much of our garden as possible. And we usually are able to make enough to last us until the next year.”
Kelli said that she recently went on a family vacation to the Netherlands and Italy. She said that both countries have beautiful backdrops, and a great mixture of natural/wild flowers and well-manicured gardens. She continued, “My kids finally understood my love for gardening while visiting The Netherlands; they could not get over how every house had beautiful flowers in their homes and in their yards. They pointed out that it just seemed like everyone was so much happier. I couldn’t agree more, which is why I love gardening.”
We are so happy that you found your happy place, Kelli!
