I've been worried for a while about the fact that our food comes from so far away. If any part of the machinery of food production, storage, or distribution failed, we'd be up a creek. Stranger things have happened, particularly recently, so I thought I'd put my fingers to work and see if I could generate interest in a teeny victory garden movement. Oh, how I would love for this to become a huge movement, but I think that sort of thing requires a presidential address. So I'll be delighted if anybody shows interest.
The Process (and you can stop reading here if you want because the rest is just details):
- Plant seeds according to directions on the packet.
- Water and weed the beds.
- Keep pests off.
- Stake if necessary.
- Harvest food at the appropriate time/size (also right there on the packet).
- Save seeds if you're not using hybrids. Just dry, label, and store in a cool dry place.
- Do it again next year.
Details...
It's the bleak midwinter...time to start planning for plants. I have wanted to be involved with vegetables for years now and I have only succeeded intermittently. While you can start a garden any time between the time your soil thaws and late summer, the best time to plan is now.
There are a couple of things you can do now:
- Get a book about gardening. I don't think it should be too overwhelming. For instance, we have a gardening encyclopedia and also this book called Back to the Basics published by Reader's Digest. We have used Basics more because we're beginners - and it's simple.
- Browse for seeds. I love this part. You can decide which ones suit your preferences, site considerations, etc. Jessie Wise swears that dedicated seed companies sell seeds that are healthier and that germinate more reliably than hardware store seeds. You can browse for seeds at parkseed.com, burpee.com or at victoryseeds.com to name a few.
- Begin composting! Composting is half drudgery and half magic, but completely worth it. I am hooked on the idea of vermiculture, but haven't yet started a worm farm. If I do, I'll be sure to write about it.
- Get some old animal poo and start the aging process. Just let it sit for six months or so, depending on the type of poo. Fresh poo can "burn" the plants by being too rich in nitrogen.
- If you have old seeds hanging around (I do), check to see which of your old seeds still grow. I do this by marking off squares of paper towel, numbering the squares, and putting a few seeds in each square. Then I roll up the paper towel, moisten it, and put it in a bag for two or three weeks, checking for growth at one-week intervals. This process is like Christmas morning for me. I put the date on the packets of the seeds that germinate and stick them in plastic bags in the fridge.
If you've never gardened before, the biggest piece of advice I have is to keep it small. Ambition's cousin is ruination. I made that up. Like my tent revival slang?
The second most important bit of advice I can think of - and the one I screwed up on the most - is to keep your germinating seeds moist at all times. It's the most fragile stage of development. They dry, they die. Park's (not the only ones, I'm sure) sells these awesome germination trays that let you germinate your seeds into soil sponges that can then be transplanted. They're truly awesome and can be used year after year, but are a small investment and the same thing can be accomplished without them.
Happy thinking! Please let me know if you want to tryagarden. I'm not sure whether to link to other blogs, open posting to others on this blog, make a picasa album for this project, simply accept comments, or some combination of the above. If you have ideas, let me know!
Here's an incomplete list of subject headings I'd love to populate with your pictures and posts:
- Planning
- Starting from Seed
- Maintenance (to include watering and weeding)
- Compost, Fertilizer
- Pest Management (preferably IPM, though I have been known to eventually pull out the big guns in dire circumstances)
- Mulch
- Problems
- Successes
- Good Books
- Good Products (seeds, tools, organic gardening aids, etc.)
All the best, brandigunn@gmail.com
