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THE TIMES COMPEL US TO PLANT A FOOD GARDEN!
We can have a year round food garden if we learn what to plant and when to plant it. Eating what we grow in our own garden keeps us healthy! We know what we\'ve done and where our food comes from. If you are a family with children or grandchildren around, all the better to get them involved in discovering that food does not start at the grocery store. The old saying "we are what we eat" is so very, very true.
We are living in a truly historical time! Already very tough times for many. And we are on our own. Scary? Only for those who do not have the foresight or faith to see ahead. The times to here, now, and to come will take a great deal of both.
Here are a few nuggets of “garden wisdom” I\'ve compiled to families and folks new to food growing, and perhaps, a few new nuggets for us "seasoned" gardeners -
Growing your food IS EASY!And economical! It\'s about learning, doing and experimenting. It\'s fun, very gratifying and healthful. With perseverance, we enjoy delicious, healthful harvests right from our garden.
Listen to the wisdom of long time gardeners and nurserymen in your own area. Sharing information is freely given, always enjoyable.
Watch the budget! If you start with just a shovel and rake, you are already there. Buying a packet of Heirloom seed for less than $2.00 will supply you with many dollars worth of food. Simply start with a single row of corn, or a tomato plant you\'ve bought for $1.00 and enjoy it\'s juicy and tastebud tingling fruit for months to come. Learning to save that seed becomes even more gratifying. And cost saving.
Maintain a garden journal for at least a few years. It\'s encouraging to see good plant growth over time. You receive valuable insight of your garden when you record – weather conditions and daily morning temps to be able to respond to significant weather changes; your soil and drainage conditions; and especially - know your frost dates and planting zone. Add tasks already accomplished and those yet to be done.
Regularly build healthy soil for growing healthy plants. Keep the soil fed by adding lots of organic materials - leaves, grass clippings, barnyard manure, kitchen wastes, shredded paper. Keep it moist to keep the soil insects alive. Protecting plants roots by mulching also protects the soil and contiunally adds nutrients as it breaks down. Enjoying the good physical and mental health you will gain from working outside in the soil and appreciating the fruits (and vegetables!), literally, of your labor.
Your main job as a gardener could be called “INSECT ENGINEER”!!! You are in charge of regularly feeding and keeping moist those very necessary soil insects to keep them happy and productive. These insects, like bees, are a very vital link in our food chain.
Respect and enjoy the abundant nature you\'ll attract into your garden. 97% of the insects that come into our garden – whether worms, caterpillars, flying insects – are the ones we want in our gardens. A mere 3% are the plant destroyers. And many “weeds” are actually excellent sources of food and valuable medicines. Identifying what we have is vitally important to the life and health of any garden.
Don\'t quickly grab the Round-up or any toxic chemical to kill an insect or weed if you don\'t know what it is.
Build a garden library over time! An important asset in identifying plants, beneficial predator insects and plant destroying insects, and knowing the causes and cures of plant diseases. The library and internet offers excellent information.
Try companion planting for higher yield, good plant health, and better flavor of your vegetables. Learning to identify those insects that are attracted to a certain food or host plant that will eventually protect our garden encourages us to grow our garden for the best yield with little insect or disease damage.
Look at things with "new" eyes!!. People discard lot\'s of useful things for our gardens. By nature, I am a scrounger. I love free stuff and can usually see beyond the grime and peeling paint to something with great potential. When teacher Karla and I were “scrounging” stuff for the school garden we came across a discarded wooden bed frame that, in it\'s former life, supported a water bed. The class turned it up on end and made sturdy shelves then painted them bright red to match the school garden color scheme. They were awesome and would have ended up in the land fill. But the kids turned them into something useful and beautiful.
Take crop failure in stride. When something does not grow the cause can be any number of reasons - planting seed too deeply; soil or weather conditions; poor seed; over watering; under watering; lack of wind protection; an invasive insect or disease.
There are never any good excuses NOT to start a garden. Successful food, herb and flower growing can be in a pot or window sill planting box sitting on a sunlit balcony or in a window.
GOOD GROWING TO YOU. Be good to yourself, be good to your loved ones.
Pat
Contact
Pat Banttari, Master Gardener
dynamic_organics@yahoo.com
(760) 947-0296 or (760) 265-2560
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