Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care · Episode 363 · November 3, 2026 · 45 min
The Fall Kitchen Garden as a Wellness Revolution: Why Growing Your Own Food Is the Ultimate Wellness Practice
Join us as Corinne shares her powerful journey to kitchen garden wellness and herbal healing. Facing chronic health issues like MCAS and severe migraines, Corinne found answers in herbalism and growing her own food. She reveals how making a rosemary tincture helped manage her migraines by increasing blood flow, and how a simple garlic oil infusion effectively treated her daughter's recurring ear infections. Beyond specific remedies, Corinne explains how her kitchen garden in Raleigh, NC (Zone 8A) became a profound space for nervous system regulation, helping her tap into a parasympathetic state without even trying. Discover how growing herbs like chamomile and thyme, alongside fall crops like kale, broccoli, and sugar snap peas, transformed her health and mindset. Corinne emphasizes that the garden is more than just a vegetable patch; it's a beautiful, accessible wellness practice woven into daily life, teaching patience and providing a non-judgmental space for healing. Learn how to integrate gardening into your routine, whether it's enjoying morning coffee among your plants or sharing harvests with neighbors. Corinne's story highlights how growing your own food can be a wellness revolution for the whole family, even inspiring kids to eat their vegetables. Let's dive in! In this episode, we learn: [01:21] Why I'm about to start my first in-ground garden in Florida [02:41] Meet Corinne! + how health issues led her to herbalism [04:12] Growing in a Zone 8A kitchen garden [07:39] How rosemary helped her MCAS migraines [08:24] What is MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)? [10:29] How to make a rosemary tincture [12:55] Why she learned the herbal remedy first before growing the plant [14:36] How garlic oil cleared her daughter’s ear infections [15:41] Grow food in small spaces with The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby ! [17:01] Feed your houseplants this fall with Espoma Organic’s premium plant foods! [20:02] What should a beginner medicinal herb garden include? [23:24] How the kitchen garden can help your nervous system [25:01] Have we overcomplicated wellness? [27:14] How gardening also teaches us patience [28:25] How her garden grew from pots to raised beds [30:37] What grew well in her summer garden [31:49] When to plan and plant your fall kitchen garden [32:34] Seeds vs. seed starts (aka growing for the season of life you're in) [33:52] How do you turn your kitchen garden into a wellness practice? [37:16] Sharing the garden with friends and neighbors! [39:03] How gardening got her son to eat vegetables [40:27] What Corinne’s kitchen garden coaching looks like [42:05] Where to find Corinne and The Nourished Garden! Mentioned in our conversation: Growing Joy Episodes: 349: Grow Your Own Luffa: Luffa Gardening Tips for Plant Lovers with Janice Cox 319: How to Preserve Food From Your Garden with Staci and Jeremy Hill, Ep 319 168: Grow Your Own Tea: Intro to Herbalism with Juliet of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine Start small and with what you'll use, check out the full show notes and blog for Corinne's fall kitchen guide! Follow Corinne: Website Coaching Workshops Instagram Thank you to our episode sponsors: Quarto: The Container Kitchen Garden by Claus Dalby Grab your copy of The Container Kitchen Garden at quarto.com , wherever books are sold, or through your local bookstore. Espoma Organic Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront . Follow Maria and Growing Joy: Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle) Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon ! Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.