Keep your green thumb while Gardening on the Go

!By Kimberly Travaglino #123940

Even though the ground is constantly moving under your home, you can still grow a garden while you’re on the go. Here are tips to keep your driving hand attached to that green thumb of yours.

Think Small
When you traded your sticks-and-bricks home for one that explores the range, you probably felt the downsize squeeze. But having less room doesn’t mean you must give up gardening. Carve out a small section of precious real estate on your kitchen counter for a three-pot herb garden. Here are a few excellent, easy herb choices:?basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.

Check with your local nursery regarding watering needs, and remember, these plants love to sunbathe. Be sure to move them into a sunny spot so they can get between four to six hours of sunning time per day.

Indoor Garden Appliance

Hydroponics is a terrific solution for those people on the go who are looking to add a few homegrown options to their dinner plate. And, gardening certainly meets the 21st Century in these countertop terrariums.

AeroGarden® by Miracle Grow® has a variety of tabletop hydro-growers, including the AeroGarden Smart Countertop Garden. According to their website, this growing system is “completely soil-free, and it harnesses the power of more than 100 high-performance LED lights to provide optimal growing conditions year-round, right on your countertop.” Add one of their many seedpod options to grow lettuce, tomatoes or even peppers with this little beauty, year-round.

Vertical Planter

What do you get when you cross a hanging magazine holder with a couple of seed packets? A garden that can grow on your limited wall space.

Amazon can provide you with a host of online options for gardens that defy gravity, including the 7-pocket Waterproof Indoor Vertical Planter.

These planters help you bring all the benefits of homegrown produce right into your home, including fresher air and money savings. However, if you’re not keen to turn your wall green, no worries. Outside options also exist, such as the Watex WX002 Metal Mobile Green Wall Double-Frame Vertical Garden with Irrigation System. This is an all-in-one garden on wheels, allowing you to bring it to the sun no matter how often your exposure changes with your locale. If you have an RV with a patio option, this might be a perfect fit for you. The wheels allow it to be moved in and out, without carrying it up and down the stairs.

Container Garden

If you’re seeking a more bountiful harvest, consider a container garden. Options abound online, with RV gardeners using common storage bins or inexpensive five-gallon buckets. Check out www.pinterest.com for countless ideas.

To keep container weights to a minimum, consider replacing the traditional rock substrate layer with Styrofoam chunks. This will minimize the amount of soil needed for your mobile garden. When it’s time to saddle up and head out, you can transport your container garden in your RV’s shower, tub or sinks. Remember to move the garden back out into the fresh air as soon as possible.

If you travel less frequently (once a month or less), consider an elaborate container garden. Visit www.fulltimefamilies.com and search “RV gardening on the go.”

The RVing Farmer

If mobile gardening is not satisfying your need to grow, consider calling a farm your home for a season and work in exchange for free or reduced site fees. Through a membership to the online resource WwoofUSA.org, RVers (or anyone, really) can connect with organic farms across the country.

Insider Tip

If the Wwoofing website (WwoofUSA.org) does not have what you’re looking for, consider reaching host farms by the Harvest Hosts Membership (harvesthosts.com). Harvest Hosts connects RVers with farms and wineries around the country, to provide free overnight accommodations. Sending e-mails or visiting a few Harvest Hosts locations with your RV may be a great way to find a short-time gardening gig to quench your need for seed.

A typical Wwoofing position offers approximately 20 hours of work, and one should expect increased working hours during the harvest.

The fact that you’re always going, doesn’t mean you have to give up your love of growing. From big to small, there are countless ways to incorporate a garden into your RV lifestyle.

I hope this article makes you so happy, you wet your plants!

Kimberly Travaglino is the author of the book How to Hit the Road, a comprehensive step-by-step guide for making your family’s full-time RV dreams a reality. She’s also one-half of a dynamic podcasting duo, called The Roadschool Moms, and co-founder of Fulltime Families (fulltimefamilies.com), an organization that supports risk takers, pioneers and intentional families who are blazing their path across the country.