A brief overview for those who are not sure if they can grow a garden!
There is so much talk these days about “growing your own food” It amazes me how many people think its something beyond their capabilities. NO ITS NOT! Just like anything else, if its new to you, it takes time to learn. Gardening is NOT HARD TO LEARN!
No I do not do all those fancy expensive towers and aquaculture and the such. Most people cannot afford to start like that. Anyone can start gardening anywhere you live. Patio gardening can be done if you live in an apartment or condo, if you live in a house, instead of all that fancy grass that you must pay to weed and water, take some of it out and plant a garden! You do not have to start big… you can start with just a few plants of some of your favs! (although if your like me, your garden is NEVER big enough!)
For Patio planting, get some bigger pots and plant Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, lettuce, spinach, heck you can even plant beans and peas in pots, cucumbers and squash as well, If you provide those with a trellis!
If you have the room, tear up some of that soil. For goodness sake, DO NOT throw it away! compost it and next year you will have some awesome amendments for your garden soil! Same with leaves from trees if you rake those up,, compost compost compost! that is not hard either! but that is for another post!
The biggest thing to do is PLAN your garden. How big is your family? what do you want to grow? will you uses chemicals or go organic? Once you have made that decision, then its time to plant! I start 99% of my seeds indoors, Yes my Kitchen break fast nook becomes the temporary home to all my starts! I start them usually in March so that by late April I can transplant into my garden. One of the things you do want to find out is WHAT GROW ZONE DO YOU LIVE IN, this will help determine what you can grow, what you might be able to grow and what you could have extra work to grow! (Nothing is ever impossible!) You can also call your local university horticulture extension, they can be very helpful for LOCAL guides on growing.
Once you have all that, its time to plant.. it’s April 23rd as of this writing and NOT TO LATE for you to get a garden growing! There are several ways to “start” your plants, MANY people go out to the local nursery or Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart etc. and buy vegetable starts.. and that’s FINE! I do that with things I cannot harvest seed, OR something I have not been able to find seed for! These plants are usually started in a green house, have TONS of fertilizer and can get your garden off to a big start! the only drawback, is that can get spendy at usually 3.50 to 4.00 per plant USD! Seed packets cost anywhere from 2.50 to 3.50 USD and give you MORE than you will use for most gardeners, but end up being much cheaper if you are going to grow any sizeable garden. Once you are proficient, you can do like I do and harvest your seeds from your preferably organic starts. Learn more about HEIRLOOM seeds (seeds that are not GMO and will grow and bear fruit) *NOTE: most things you buy in the grocery store are GMO and the seed may grow, however bearing fruit is another story. Once you have your starts, either purchased or from seed, when the weather is right, you can transplant them right into your garden! And that is what I started today!
The bottom line, ANYONE can grow a garden! and EVERYONE should grow what they can! in the ground, in pots, either way, its food you can trust, its food you know where it came from! its nutritious and delirious! Enjoy your 2022 Garden season and if I can help.. post a note!