MY MISSION 

Greetings, *bows*

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My name is Caroline, the creator of Cara Gardens. I would like to share with you a bit about my mission!

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Cara Gardens started as a ecological conservation restoration project almost a decade ago when the City came to our neighborhood and deforested acres of land under the Hydro corridor. The act displaced much wildlife, and unfortunately ended many native baby bird species lives that were in active incubation, hatching, nestling, and fledging stages (most pre-feathers, unable to fly). Under the Migratory Bird Convention Act; cutting trees, clearing bushes, or destroying habitat cannot happen until the nesting season is over. From April to September, like clockwork, birds build their nest and prepare to brood, and sometimes have multiple broods depending on the species. Deforestation is not permissible in this window, but it happened regardless. Without any consideration for the living creatures in mind.

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I grew up here, this place is my home, just as much as it is any other wildlife. The act of what happened greatly saddened me, and I chose to take on such a large project with no end in sight to ensure there would always be a place free of demolition; Cara Gardens. Every year my mother and I expand the garden a few feet at a time, cleanup around its space, allowing for a more naturalized chaotic form to take on the grounds residence. Chaos can be beautiful too.

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The garden, while on city property is a testament of resilience, how doing the right thing and fighting for what you believe can pay off.

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As time went on, our economy changed as well. The food I used to love and enjoy was now becoming so expensive that I couldn't possibly justify buying it in groves like I used to. The meals no longer stretched for the prices they were, and I felt so burdened by the overall outcome that something needed to change.

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This is where the conception of growing my own food began. There was significant trial and error as I navigated the agricultural landscape from soil mixtures, composting, topping, pruning, pH balance, cold and warm season crops, different sun requirement plants, native pollinator friendly wildflowers to increase crop vitality and quantity, plant substitute pest control, watering cycles, knowing when to harvest, how to reproduce seeds, and so on. It is a lot of information, and I most certainly didn't go into this from the bigger picture. I simply saw a problem and offered myself a solution and grew into what that solution could provide bit by bit.

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Trust me when I say, anyone can garden! It all boils down to creating a routine around allowing yourself to grow with the plants that will eventually become the food you eat.

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My mission from this point on is to make gardening affordable, and to share my wealth of knowledge for FREE in my blogs. No gimmick, no subscription, no secret mandatory payment model after clicking so many times, no bs. I am not a faceless corporation trying to deceive you to make money. I am simply 1 single human being trying to do the right thing and help people make informed decisions and get to a place of food security.

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All of the seeds I sell are harvested by me, and the process from bore botanical fruit to seed is locally grown and naturalized completely. There is no questionable products that are typically used in commercial or industrial agricultural spaces. No herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, no man-made chemicals sprayed onto the plants, or anything that would pose a risk to my own health. I would use the term organic, but organic isn't actually organic, unfortunately..

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There's also a large misconception present in the industry where you need exceptional land to grow your own food, which is not true. The spacing requirements on the labels from store seed packs are meant for machinery, not a personal homestead garden, tractor-free. For soil, I compact garden. I also partake in vertical gardening and hydroponic towers for growing my own herbs.

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Cara Gardens is Canadian-initiative, located in Ottawa, Ontario. Let's grow together in this journey to have a sustainable future, where everyone matters.