Your Stories: Sharyl Beebes
One of the central missions of our site is to create a community. We want the people in this community to connect with each other through the passions they share, be it gardening, food, music, yoga, or whatever other home crafted things they love. To be able to connect with each other though, we have to get to know the people that within our community. In that spirit, I wanted to share this introduction Sharyl Beebe sent us, and extend her offer of guidance for anyone who is struggling to get their home garden off the ground.
“Hello my fellow guy, gals, and farming pioneers. I hope you are all experimenting with everything it takes to grow your own. Farming and agriculture are an actual science for good reason. As many of you know, it’s not as simple as planting a seed in the ground, watering it, and it suddenly being ready to harvest! It’s so much more than that. I grew up shoveling shit on a farm, walking miles with my pail to pick fresh veggies, and learning how to get rid of gophers without having to revert to certain Caddyshack-esque methods (tip, don’t use explosives). After a whole childhood spent on a farm I have learned a thing or two about farming. I’m confident my health and good immune system has something to do with all that time spent outside, eating dirt right off the plants on our farm.
I enjoyed working the land. I learned how to understand the soil pH, the different kinds of water, and which types are the best to use. Learned how to combat all varying types of stuff that want to prey upon your plants. Learned the different climates and plant desires. Working the land all my life has given me the kind of crucial firsthand experience that provides a well-rounded understanding of Agricultural Science.
In my travels around the world I have discovered many techniques, and how different plants like certain things. My mom is such a skiller farmer that I swear she can just glance at a dying plant and it will salute her and start growing. She’s been featured in City Beautiful magazine for master gardeners and also on NBC news with her master creations. I’m so proud of her. But I’m also proud of myself for absorbing so much information from her and being able to share advice here on this website with everyone. Worst case scenario we’ve always got my mom’s skilled backup advice!
My advice to all is travel the world, find out what happens with your experiments and examine the patterns. I can usually tell you what you did wrong if it doesn’t work correctly. I’ve done almost everything you can possibly do in life, besides travelling a couple of places that are off limits, and it has helped me broaden my horizons and become a better farmer. It’s all worked out so far, so don’t be scared! Just farm! It’s like a recipe for baking. If it isn’t good, figure what you did wrong and keep trying! Don’t listen to people who say it’s simple or that you should be doing better. We all learn at our own pace. Start working the land and you’ll quickly come to understand there is so much more to growing plants than meets the eyes, and that there is great satisfaction to be found in growing something yourself!”
If you’re interested in talking to Sharyl and getting some guidance on developing your garden, you can direct message her at her Galorian name Shay.Beebe.