Happy about my tomato harvest in summer 2024, and that I don't need to water. A day filled with garden inspiration. Photo: Ida Sjöö

My readers often ask me to write more about life — sometimes connected to gardening, sometimes not. Everytime I write about something other than gardening, I feel a small pang of stress, like I’m missing an opportunity to inspire someone to sow, plant, or succeed better in their garden. That’s why I almost always choose to write exclusively about my garden. But it’s also a nice feeling to offer something different when it’s requested. So, I’ll try to make some exceptions going forward!

Always happy and on the go?

When I share moments from my garden on social media, it might seem like I’m in the garden 24/7, smiling constantly and excited about everything I do. But what you see online is just a tiny fragment of my life. Yes, it’s my job to write and talk about gardening (the best job in the world!), but that doesn’t mean I’m always inspired to garden. Some days, I feel completely blah.

My garden is very visible, but it has required a lot of internal work on my part. I’ve worked very hard to define my purpose for gardening and stick to it, no matter what. I absolutely feel pressure to deliver, but this is mostly self-imposed. When I feel unmotivated, I always make sure to revisit my purpose and ask myself: Why am I doing this? What do I want to achieve? How does this make me feel?

I don't garden to get social media likes or praise. It’s not about getting "oohs and aahs" from fancy lifestyle magazines. My garden is for me—to feel good. Honestly, I don’t care if it’s messy, if things don’t get done, if plants end up dying, or if all I manage to do in the garden is stand around and take a look at the state of things. But having a garden right outside my house means that on the days I do feel inspired, I can dive in and do as much as I want—and that’s the best feeling.

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This year has been challenging, to say the least. I am going through menopause and struggling with it. Inflation and the state of the world has affected my business negatively. So, I'm not by any means waking up buzzing with excitement every day. But often enough!

I often think about that, in gardening (just like in life), it’s so important to compare yourself to the right kind of people. To only do the kind of comparisons that are fair and won’t drag you down. There’s an endless supply of inspiration in the gardening world, some of which I can’t even look at without feeling completely inadequate.

But when I return to my purpose and goals for my garden (to feel good and grow an incredible amount of food) then I always feel amazing. That sense of accomplishment fills me with joy, especially knowing it can inspire other gardeners to feel proud of what they’ve achieved, instead of judging or undervaluing themselves—or anyone else.

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What I do to feel inspired

So, we've established that I'm just like anyone else: I get uninspired and feel inadequate at times. In life, in the garden and in my job. Normal.

But how do I turn the feeling around, when I need to?

One of my favorite tricks is to do something I know that I can do well. Where I don't need to doubt my abilities and know that I will get results. It's so much better than starting a difficult project, try to get rid of musts from a never-ending to-do list or jump into something where I risk criticisms or seeing myself in an unflattering light. When I'm not on top, I need to do something I know I can do well, that other people will appreciate too.

Examples from the garden: Weeding a raised bed, burying bokashi compost, sowing something. If the ground is frozen, then I can always start preparing a growing spot in a polytunnel or a large pot. Completely foolproof projects that make me feel good.

Examples from work: Write a blog post about something that multiple followers have commented on or wanted to know more about. That is always a surefire way to make me feel better! And I always feel so calm and satisfied when I feel my fingertips on the keyboard. It makes me feel secure and happy.

Example from my family life: Shifting the focus from what is causing stress and instead deciding to spend time doing something together with my children, even when the energy is low in general. That always works for me. Being a mother is my most important role. When I have done that, I always feel at ease when I go to bed at night.

Just for me: Knitting! Plenty of tasks that feel difficult or boring can often be postponed a little while. I won't be very useful if I stress and do things without thinking it through beforehand. Just taking a few hours to sit down and knit is a great way for me to cool down, calm my nerves and get a new perspective on things. Another great trick is walking the dog in the forest.

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Finding balance in the garden

There’s a lot to gain from understanding why gardens and gardening work are portrayed the way they are in media and on social platforms. Many of us feel stressed when confronted with images of perfectly maintained spaces that seem to stay beautiful at all times. Elaborate projects described in countless details, big and difficult tasks that require assistance, and the ever-present truth that failure is an inevitable part of gardening. You simply can’t grow things without having things going wrong.

But editorial content needs to portray gardens a certain way to be engaging for readers and viewers. Thankfully, we don’t live in a never-ending TV segment or a perfect five-page magazine spread.

How can we feel successful and happy in our gardens with all this unattainable content everywhere? And how can we find the energy, time, and joy to do it all?

Here are three tips on how to get new garden inspiration:

1. Focusing on a smaller space

Believe me, almost no home garden is perfectly tidy and organized—all at once. Everyone has messy spots. Most of the content we see online only shows a curated part of a garden; the rest remains unseen. At home, though, you see it all, without mercy.

Choose one area of your garden to make as beautiful as you deserve it to be — just a small area that can be your own oasis to enjoy. In 2024, my special spot was the new section of my kitchen garden. It was heavenly! I even set up a little seating area to savor it. The energy this spot gave me made me feel happy with what I managed to do elsewhere—and at peace with what I didn’t.

• What part of your garden can you turn into a cozy, delightful space? Make sure your choice is realistic in terms of time and effort.

2. Do it step by step

No matter what you’re doing in the garden, just take it one step at a time! It's not very common for me to finish a big project in just one single day. Sometimes even the small jobs don’t get done. Breaking big tasks into smaller chunks is normal. It’s only in blog posts, magazine articles, and TV shows that everything gets magically done all at once.

For example blog posts are often made with photos taken over several days with some old, archived pictures sprinkled in there too. Magazine articles summarize years of effort. On TV, teams swoop in to finish the job in nearly every instance. It’s just the way it is.

So, it’s absolutely okay to start a project and work on it little by little. Eventually, it might even get finished. When I plan new beds, I aim for one per week or month. Over time, I end up with quite a few of them.

• Which of this year’s projects can you break into smaller steps? It’s okay not to accomplish everything. Some dreams can wait for later.

3. Celebrate the small things

Instead of measuring your gardening success by completed projects, try valuing it by the time you’ve spent. No one has more time than anyone else—we’re all equal in that sense.

If you find 15 minutes in a busy day to do something specific in the garden, be proud of yourself. Period. Some tasks are impossible to complete in such a short time span, so be sure to measure your success by what you did, not what you didn’t do.

During particularly stressful times, my own gardening hours are minimal. Yes, it can feel disheartening, but I try to focus on the joy of what I’ve accomplished rather than beating myself up over what I didn't manage to do.

• Practice sharing what you’ve done in your garden during the time you’ve had. Take photos, post on social media, tell your family, or jot it down in a journal. Over time, you’ll see how much you’ve achieved. You’re invaluable to your garden!

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