Myth of the Green Thumb
Everyone you know with a green thumb is harboring a secret. We've all watched countless plants shrivel, wilt, freeze, and die in our care. So if you've ever wondered how gardening just comes so easily to someone, know that it never has. Plants and humans have been trying to understand each other for our entire shared time on this planet. It's never really that some of us are just born with a connection to nature deeper than others, every single one of us human creatures is born into nature. The part that turns that innate connection into a tangible skill in the garden is the ability to let go of the fear that we're taught through our years of life.
Most critically, the fear of making mistakes or getting something wrong. A major part of growing plants well is the part in which you've learned how to grow plants not well. Some growers go through that process on their own, and others rely on gardening clubs or online forums.
I always tell people that the quickest way to a green thumb is to prune tomatoes without gloves!
The fear of asking for help is another major road block most people these days are going to face on their path to a green thumb. You don't need to face all the trials and errors that will come along the way. Focus on one plant you're working with at a time and find others doing the same with different plants in mind. A season or two into that collaboration you'll all feel closer to experts on that variety of plants!
Collaboration is the reason plants and seeds all come with growing info on the tags, producers know firsthand what trials and errors it took to grow it well. They give you the basic knowledge they've learned to help you succeed. Which brings me to the last fear to overcome in my experience which is the fear of breaking the rules. The planting instructions are there to offer generalized guidelines to success. This doesn't always mean it's the best way to grow a plant in your local garden.
Without experimenting outside of the recommended growing guidelines we wouldn't have found ways to grow year round in central oregon. If there wasn't experimenting in agriculture we wouldn't know that digging holes can help us grow in southwestern deserts. Plants want to grow, they will give it their all no matter how we try to grow them.
This year I ask you not to just have no fear of it all, but to try it out even if you're still afraid. Start big, start small, plant even just one seed of your favorite flower or vegetable. No matter how you start, just start. I promise you will never be alone in the gardening world.