GROW YOUR OWN FOOD FOR HEALTH
After my recent blogs on our toxic foods, I wanted to show you how simple it is to grow your own.
HEIRLOOM, NON-GMO SEEDS ARE STILL AVAILABLE ONLINE, AND MY FAVORITE SOURCE IS THREE FAVORITE SELLERS ON EBAY. I GET INCREDIBLE SEEDS AT ROUGHLY $1.00 TO $2.00 PER 50 TO 100 SEEDS, OR OFTEN 500 SEEDS, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF VEGETABLE OR HERB. THEY GERMINATE WELL, AND I USUALLY PAY NO SHIPPING FEES.FOR THOSE WITHOUT ACCESS TO EBAY, A GOOGLE SEARCH OF "BUY HEIRLOOM SEEDS" WILL TURN UP THOUSANDS OF SELLERS, BUT DO A LITTLE RESEARCH AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE DEALING WITH A REPUTABLE SELLER.
(I have purchased heirloom seeds from Italy, France, Africa, India, and Australia, so I know they are widely available in all nations....at least for now.)
HEIRLOOM SEED COMPANIES HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR ABOUT A CENTURY OR MORE HERE IN AMERICA.
WITH AMERICA AND MOST OTHER NATIONS OF EARTH COMING UNDER THE U.N.'S CODEX ALIMENTARIUS, WE MAY SOON SEE ALL THESE GOOD COMPANIES DISAPPEAR, AND THEN WE MUST RELY ON ONE ANOTHER FOR NON-TOXIC SEEDS AND FOODS.
THERE IS NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO LEARN HOW TO FEED YOURSELVES AND THOSE YOU LOVE.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
GETTING STARTED IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK!
To get you started, try this website. It is very informative with many clickable links and other related content to visit.
Vegetable Gardening in Containers and Small Spaces
Ideas for Growing Vegetables Anywhere
http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/ContainerVeggie.htm
This site is also good:
Small-space edible gardens
How to grow fresh herbs and veggies in pots, pocket gardens, and clever raised beds.
Here is where you will use those shipping pallets you can often get for free or for very cheap from grocers, hardware stores, almost any place that receives large shipments each day or week.
http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/small-space-vegetable-gardens-00400000044403/
CONTAINERS
Almost any type of container can be used for growing vegetables. You can choose simple containers like buckets, baskets, tubs, crates, or wooden boxes, or you can get creative and plant in shoes, recycled sinks and bathtubs, or even a kiddie pool. Whatever container you choose, you will want to make sure you match the type of plant you grow to the size of the container. (Big plant? Think big pot!)
One of my most successful gardens was grown in straw bales, weedlessly and with no bending and stooping to harvest.
Unlike in the video below, I scooped out growing holes on all sides of the bales as well. Herbs do very well, as do strawberries, in the side holes.
My eldest daughter once hung old garden gloves and tennis shoes and boots on a fence and grew incredible herbs and lettuces in them.
She also once grew exceptional vegetables just by ripping open potting soil bags and planting directly into them, after making drain holes in what became the bottoms of her "containers".
Seeds may be started indoors for outdoor gardens in empty egg cartons, "Dixie cups", or in containers made from folded and formed newspaper. No need to buy peat cups, which usually don't transplant well anyway. Any sunny window will work nicely for seed-starting. Make sure you have good drainage in all containers and don't over-water or under-water. It won't take long for you to "get the hang of it".
One of the links below shows you how to grow nice vegetables in an old shoe organizer...amazing and what a boon to those of us with mobility problems or lack of space!
For those with a bit more room, elevated or "raised beds", sometimes laid out in one-foot by one-foot blocks, can produce hundreds to thousands of pounds of edibles.
One need not go to great expense to build these as many companies practically give away their old shipping pallets, which make good lumber for construction of raised beds.
One can also use rock, brick, concrete clock to frame in a raised bed.
Soil quality is everything, as is proper moisture, enough sunlight, and making sure plants have enough room to "breathe".
With a world of organic gardening information at our fingertips, we can all confidently grow food year-round, both inside our homes and out.
You will see compost mentioned frequently but don't be put-off by the term. Children love to compost and it can be accomplished in minimal space with little or no cost to start, and uses many things we otherwise may toss out in the trash, even coffee grounds.
Composting is a great way to use up those grass clippings and fallen leaves.
There are countless websites that teach you how to amend your soil, if you need a bit more sand, or a bit more leaf mold, you can find out quickly on websites such as this one
Building Healthy Soil
http://www.gardeners.com/Building-Healthy-Soil/5060,default,pg.html
If you've never really noticed how wonderful rich, moist dirt smells, you will be pleasantly surprise once you start working in it.
LIVING THINGS, FOOD INSIDE AND OUT
Plants clean the air when grown indoors as much as they do outdoors. A room full of living plants seems to make anyone feel better.
You can even grow edible vegetables from 'leftovers' from your food prep, and the taste is wonderful!
Visit websites like these to see how easy this is!
http://wakeup-world.com/2012/10/15/16-foods-thatll-re-grow-from-kitchen-scraps/
http://pandawhale.com/post/3695/15-foods-you-can-regrow-from-scraps
Children love to do this, especially the sweet potato vines (which, alas, are not edible)!
http://rawfoodenergybenefits.com/re-growing-food-from-your-kitchen-scraps/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RawFoodEnergyBenefits+%28Raw+Food+Energy+Benefits%29
A delightful website for apartment and small space gardeners with great images:
'GARDENING WITHOUT A GARDEN: 10 IDEAS FOR YOUR PATIO AND BALCONY'
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/gardening-without-a-garden-10-ideas-for-your-patio-or-balcony-renters-solutions-167221
Just click through their images...you will see how simple gardening can be!
Another page full of ideas from that site:
15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/15-repurposed-planters-just-ad-142393
66 Things You Can Grow At Home: In Containers, Without a Garden
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/sixtysixthings-growhome-containers-withoutgarden.htm
Straw bales (not hay bales) are a great place to plant vegetables, there are no or few weeds to deal with and one can garden standing up or sitting comfortably in a lawn chair beside the bales. Very nice for those who can't stand for long periods!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXcA99xGHwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmDhVhqSXNw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmcnDH77xNw
Our Edible Suburb "Vertical Strawberries"
This shows strawberries, but any smaller plants will do nicely in these as well.
We used this method very successfully for years by hanging them off both decks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnYQwu_3DyE
How to find supplies for just a little money. The stackable pots are awesome and could be accomplished using clay pots as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qms_61RACA
Some of the booths at the National Heirloom Expo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvakOn9upuE
The three keys to growing large tomatoes in containers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilxmkxfj7Mw
Vegetables can be easily substituted for flowers shown in any videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GYv274LYw
And just for fun, a very unique idea for indoor or outdoor plants that normally grow above ground in trees, or are able to live without large root systems...the STRING GARDEN.
Simple and elegant the plants grown in this manner are an understated green addition to any room or balcony. These beautiful living plants are comprised of string wrapped around a plant bulb or root ball, and introduce natural elements to the urban environment.
How to make a String Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiMY7B--s4c
WARNING: ONCE YOU START GROWING YOUR OWN NUTRITIOUS, NON-TOXIC FOOD, YOU WILL NEVER SETTLE FOR THE JUNK FOODS TOO OFTEN FOUND IN GROCERY STORES TODAY. GROWING OUR OWN FOOD IS ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCES WE MAY EVER HAVE. GARDENERS SAVE SEEDS AND SWAP THEM, CREATING UNIQUE GROUPS ACROSS THE WORLD, BRINGING PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT CULTURES CLOSER TOGETHER. THE PLANET BENEFITS FROM ALL THAT WE DO TO HELP SUPPORT OURSELVES, TO USE THINGS THAT ONCE WE THREW INTO THE TRASH, OUR ENVIRONMENT GETS CLEANER AND HEALTHIER AND BECOMES A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE. FAMILIES ARE UNITED IN A COMMON GOAL THAT ALL CAN TAKE PRIDE IN, AND WE ALL GET HEALTHIER AND SAVE MONEY.
WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT?
HAPPY GARDENING, MY FRIENDS!
BE WELL!
No comments:
Post a Comment