In May 2018 my wife was helping organize a Grade 7–8 school trip to Niagara Falls. The cost of the bus, insurance, and hotel rooms was pretty high, so she asked if I could help raise a bit of money for the students.

She knew I used to garden with my mom growing up, but I hadn’t grown anything in years. Still, I said yes, and ended up turning part of my basement into a mini growing room.

We started dozens of seedlings: peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, romaine, basil, dill, oregano, green beans, yellow beans… you name it. We sold them all at her school, and the students ended up raising a really solid amount toward the trip. The kids got to go, the parents saved money, and honestly it felt good to get my hands back in the dirt again after so long.

Here’s a photo of the tables we set up outside the school that day. All the money went directly to the fundraiser.

This little project is what pulled me back into gardening years later. ????????