50. One Garden at a Time: What We Can Learn About Ourselves from Growing What We Love with Emily Murphy

When we garden we are caring for more than a plot of land. It can also be seen as an expression of hope, curiosity, and of interconnectivity. This is the message my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising has evangelized to great success through her books, blog and fierce commitment to greening our planet together. Emily Murphy is here to share with us the inspiration behind her latest work, "Grow Now: How We Can Save Our Health, Communities, and Planet — One Garden at a Time," a fascinating guide to regeneration.

And for all of you who feel intimidated by gardening, growing anything, or even keeping a house plant alive, you should definitely tune in. Not only is this an invitation to play, but this episode isn’t just about what and how to grow things externally, it’s also about inner nurture and how we grow ourselves. Whether we’re talking about picking up a spade or watering can, putting our hands in the soil, or learning anything new that shifts our perspective, we find that there are many overlapping lessons. For example, failure is part of the process, as inevitable as the changing of seasons themselves. 

In this episode, Emily and I swap happy memories of our childhoods and muse on the power found in the simple act of growing things. It inspires children’s curiosity and resilience. It brings together communities even in the most barren of cityscapes. It also expresses a commitment to biodiversity and positive change in the face of species endangerment and climate crisis.

Closer to home, Emily spells out some of the many positive impacts that gardens have far beyond being good for the planet. They support our immune systems, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce anxiety and depression. Gardening also nourishes us, spiritually and culinarily.

And we have it within our power to enable nature to repair our damaged and fragmented ecosystems.

Learn more about Emily’s work at her www.passthepistil.com website. You can also check out where to purchase copies of her new book here.

Episode Highlights:

(02:26) Emily shares a bit about her background, including what inspired her interest, both as an author and educator, in the nexus between gardens and community. 

(05:21) There can be many points of entry for reaching people with compelling messages

(07:25) "Grow Now" provides a guide for growing a garden as part of a small change that begins at home, in defiance of and opposition to overwhelming issues like climate crisis and species extinction.

(10:45) The importance of nature in our day-to-day mental and emotional health

(11:14) How children reap direct benefits from time connected with nature and gardening

(13:35) About the power of gardens

(13:40) Mallory shares a bit of color from her own childhood introduction to gardening

(15:03) Emily and Mallory reflect on some of the life-giving byproducts of gardening:

(22:20) Gardening has a magical way of reframing failure as discovery, acceptance and equanimity in an ever-changing landscape. 

(26:20) Mallory reflects on the symbolism inherent in gardening

(28:22) Emily reflects on leadership and team-building in the context of gardens, their interdependence, shared resources, and regeneration. 

(32:25) All about regeneration: "Grow Now" acts as a guidebook for renewing landscapes, home scapes, and plots close to home that have the power to restore.

(35:48) Myth-Busting: Gardening is not just something your grandparents used to do

(37:08) Find ways to plugin.

(39:02) Learn more about Emily and connect with her!