5-Minute Garden

And The Story Grows. Growing up in rural Alabama, I spent many a summer helping in my parents’ and grandparents’ gardens. The digging, tilling, planting, tending, and let’s not forget pest control…it seemed like more of a chore than fun. Hot, sunny days picking beans and tomatoes, hours spent moving my bucket from plant to plant, row to row. It was so much work! But when we sat down to the dinner table with freshly sliced tomatoes, snap beans, squash, and a big fat green onion (cornbread, too!), it was more than worth the sweat. This gardening of my youth was just part of my summertime activities, like swimming or playing softball. Adulthood would bring an entirely new perspective. Studies show that gardening impacts your mind, body, and soul: it relieves stress and anxiety; decreases risk of certain health conditions; and it just plain makes you happy! After moving away for college and then employment, I didn’t have the luxury of planting a garden. I was lucky for many years to have a balcony or cement slab to call my own, much less a yard. My dad insisted on building me a table garden out of wood. “It’ll be good for you”, he said…and it was. While I welcomed the gift, it took him some time to build it; there was no drain; and, I couldn’t move it or store it easily when not in use. After a little brainstorming and tweaking, I came up with the idea of a durable, yet portable table garden – one that required little space and time. With the help of my husband who works in product development, we designed the 5-minute garden: a fully-assembled, plastic table garden with collapsible steel legs. Simply pour in your soil, set your plants, and give it a little old-fashioned Southern love (as my grandmother would say). You’ll be ready to grow in 5 minutes!