Now it is time to get your hands dirty. Growing your own food is one of the more fun parts of becoming a vegan. Many people have never started a garden before in their lives. Even growing small amounts of your own food can connect you much closer to the things that you are eating. It does not matter if you live in a house with a yard or in an apartment with a balcony, or even in a space without a balcony, like a dorm room. There are always ways to grow some food for your dinner table.
If you are lucky enough to have a yard, then choose a space that receives both sunlight and shade. If you do not have a shaded area, you will have to make a small overhead shading to keep your plants from overexposure. If you are planting on your balcony, you can buy long planters that can be placed on the ground, on a stair stepped shelf, or hung from hooks off of the balcony railing. If you are confined to indoor growing, you can also use plant pots and long planters, and place them near to the window for direct sunlight, or purchase light bulbs from the garden store with the proper spectrum of light for growing vegetables. There are also many hydroponic, organic growing devices on the market. These sell as a self-contained unit and often, with pre-seeded packets that are ready to plop into the growing hole.
Start by choosing plants that replenish themselves like lettuces and herbs. These are easy to grow and can be thrown into almost any meal you are preparing. Baby carrots and baby tomatoes are also fun and simple to grow, as are capsicum, chili peppers, long beans, and much more. When the season is right, strawberries will look beautiful in your garden, and they taste great for desert. If space permits, then fruits such as melons and small citrus trees can be grown.
The purpose of growing your garden it is to put your energy into your food, which in turn gives that loving energy back to you as nutrition. It helps to create the mind-body connection by physically tending to the food that you eat. Gardening is also a very grounding process that will help you to stay mentally fit and emotionally centered, both of which help you in your vegan transition.