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Apartment Gardening Ebook PDF
Apartment Gardening Ebook PDF
growing Vegetables
in small spaces
By Jami Leigh
YoungWifesGuide.com
Please visit YoungWifesGuide.com/Design for cover design and formatting.
Disclaimer
This book contains some affiliate links. If you purchase through them, the author
receives a small commission which benefits our family. Thank you.
Jami Leigh
© 2012 | All rights reserved.
YoungWifesGuide.com | Facebook.com/YoungWifesGuide | @YoungWifesGuide
Introduction
Suggested Resources
About the Author
About the Contributors
Image Credits
Gardening can be an excellent way to save money, eat healthy, and
incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
But vegetables are so expensive, and prices are still on the rise.
Many wonderful bloggers and friends around the country are also
eating healthy and they have a garden in their backyard to help
feed their family frugally.
When preparing dinner, they can walk out back and pick some fresh
vegetables, or they can them to enjoy them all year long.
But the more I researched and read about eating healthy, the more
I saw people mention that the best way to get more vegetables for a
good price was to grow your own! Every once in a while someone
would mention that they had tomatoes in a container or herbs
in their kitchen.
This book will cover everything you need to start gardening including:
How to know what to plant where you live
When to plant
How to care for your plants and transplanting
When and how to harvest
Organic Gardening 101
How to grow an herb garden
Canning and keeping vegetables throughout the year
I hope that you enjoy this journey as I have. I will never go back
to all store bought vegetables again!
Before we dig into the meat of how to start a garden, I ask that
you take a few minutes to prepare your heart. 1 Corinthians 10:31
says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to
the glory of God.” This is just as applicable in the garden as it is in
the pew on Sunday morning. My wonderful friend Alina Joy will
help us to kick this book off by sharing a few Biblical truths that
can be found in the garden.
By Alina Joy~ Good Old Days Farm
Friends, the benefits to gardening go far beyond being able to eat your
own tomatoes and beans this summer. What if I told you that your
little garden has an eternal importance to God? God has lessons for us
in gardening. Think about it! When God created Adam and Eve and
wanted to give them a perfect home, he didn't give them a big fancy
house with a white picket fence and cable TV.
He gave them a garden to take care of and live in! Later, God chose to
place His chosen people (the Israelites) in Canaan, a land "flowing with
milk and honey," prime land for supporting the Israelite's agricultural
lifestyle. As one His chosen people now, God is in Heaven preparing a
place for you. Did you know that your Heavenly home will include a
garden? Isaiah describes it like this:
"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and
another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days
of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the
work of their hands." ~Isaiah 65:1-2
As the wife of a fruit and vegetable farmer, I can tell you that there is
nothing easy about gardening! I can also tell you that God wrote two
books: The Bible, and the book of Nature. If you are looking for them,
your garden can reveal many lessons about the character of its Creator
and the Plan of Salvation.
Let’s start with the soil. Although God created the earth to yield it’s
bounty to us, once sin entered the world things changed. Sin became a
curse to the soil (Genesis 4:21). In a similar way, sin is also a curse to
the soil of our heart. Jeremiah 4:3 gives instructions to the
repentant. “Break up your fallow ground” he says, “and sow not among
thorns.” Fallow ground is ground that has been used for agriculture in
the past, but has been neglected for at least one season.
This is not ground that is ready for planting. This is ground that needs
a lot of work! I’ve seen on our farm that it doesn’t take long for weeds
to take over! It’s a big job to get fallow ground ready for seed. The
fallow ground of our hearts can only be broken up by deep repentance.
Once the ground is ready, it is time to plant seeds. Have you ever
watched a seed sprout? They’ll sit in the ground for a week or more
and suddenly sprout up over night! There is nothing you can do to
make that seed sprout an hour or a day after you plant it. You can talk
to it and wish for it to sprout all you want, but ultimately it needs
God’s power to sprout.
Similarly, we also need God’s power to develop spiritually. You can say
that you want to be a Christian and you want a changed heart, but the
only way for either to happen is by acknowledging that the power is in
God’s hands and we cannot do this in our own strength.
As the plants in our gardens grow, we find ourselves in a constant
battle against disease, pests and weeds. We planted 100 tomato
transplants last week and the very next morning we noticed that
worms had already attacked some of the plants and killed them. For a
gardener, disease, pests and weeds are a real trial! What kind of trials
do you have in your life? How are you bearing up under them? I love
the way the Amplified Bible expresses James 1:12:
Whatever your trials might be, the Lord allows just the right trials to
help us develop into sturdy little plants, fit for His Kingdom!
Once the seed has sprouted and the plant is growing, the gardener’s
work is not over. The plants still need to be cared for. They need to
receive nourishment from the sun and water every day. Without this,
the plants will shrivel up and die. Similarly, we need to be nourished
by Living Water every day. Without daily time in the scriptures, we
will also shrivel up and die spiritually.
Another thing that the gardener must do during this growing stage is
to fertilize the garden, especially weak plants that need the extra
boost. Did you know that the Bible talks about fertilizing plants? In
Luke 13:6-9 we find this parable:
“…A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came
and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the
dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit
on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the
ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year
also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit,
well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”
Now why would God include this story of a most un-promising fig tree
in the Bible? How is your life? Is it bearing fruit? Are you going
through a long, dry season of trial and tribulation? The gardener in
Luke 13 did not give up on this fig tree that was not bearing
fruit. Instead he gave it extra care and attention. This is exactly what
the Lord will do for us! When our lives seem unpromising is when He
pours out extra grace and mercy on us!
The soil can be kept 20 degrees cooler than the air if a plant is properly
mulched! For the plant, that can make the difference between
surviving 88 degree soil or being scorched in 108 degree soil! Can you
think of examples in your own life of how the Lord has protected you?
Finally, if you have diligently prepared your soil, planted good seed,
fertilized, nourished and protected your plants, your garden will
produce fruit (or vegetables!) and you will reap a sweet harvest! From
your little patio garden you can harvest tomatoes, peas and beans, but
what will be the harvest of your soul?
You are looking forward to harvest time when you can taste the fruit
and vegetables you have been working so hard to cultivate! You would
be disappointed if all your plants withered and died of neglect. In the
same way, the Lord wants to reap a rich, bountiful harvest from the
garden of your heart. What will He find when He examines your soul?
So go ahead! Start that garden and enjoy the fruit of your labor! But
don’t forget to keep your eyes open for spiritual lessons that the Lord
has for us in each step along the way!
Growing a vegetable garden can be so rewarding and fun! Up until
recently, I didn’t think that it was possible for us since we live in an
apartment.
But not only is it possible, it’s fairly easy (once you get the hang of
it), it’s cheap and you can reap wonderful benefits all year long!
In this map, the United States is broken down into 13 zones. It was
recently updated in January 2012, so check it out for any changes.
Type in your zip code to find your zone. This interactive map will
show you a complete breakdown of the city or area that you live in.
The updated zone map shows that, for example, I live in zone 10a.
Now that I know my zone, I can better determine what plants will
generally work well in my area or not without having to
2
FIND PLANTS THAT WORK WELL IN YOUR ZONE
Knowing your zone can help you determine what plants are
probably best to plant in your area. Plant catalogs or seed
packets often refer to zones. If you know your zone it is easy to
determine whether that plant is likely to succeed in your area.
Choose wisely, and your plants should do well. If you are still not
sure ask your local nursery for advice, as they should be happy to
help you select the best plants for containers.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a great choice for container gardening! My goal
this year is to grow so many tomatoes that I can freeze and can
enough to live off of for the year.
Tomatoes work well in pretty much any container and also in all
the new containers that hang them upside down.
Cucumbers
I thought that cucumbers needed lots of room to grow (like a
whole hill) but containers are great for cucumbers as long as
they have some room to grow (or get ones that will grow up a
trellis).
Peppers
My husband is particularly happy about this one. We have three
different kinds of peppers growing right now on our window sill.
He loves fresh peppers, and they are fairly easy to grow!
Herbs
There are too many herbs to list here, but many types of herbs
make great candidates for containers as they don’t often require
deep roots. I will cover more about herbs later.
Green Onions
These do well in containers as they do not have extensive root
systems and do not require a lot of room, as they grow tall.
4 SHADE OR NO SHADE
Shade on your patio is another important factor in deciding
what plants to grow. Most vegetables are sun lovers, so they
are going to want a lot of time in the sun! Keep in mind that
afternoon sun is hotter than morning sun, so plants do not need as
much time in afternoon sun as morning sun or they may dry out.
Some vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, need at least 6
hours of sunlight per day. If your patio doesn’t offer this much sun,
then the sun loving vegetables may not work. But it is still possible
to grow with less sunlight.
But there are many you can grow in little sun and lots of shade
including: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, peas, different types of
lettuce, beans, radishes and other cold tempered vegetables. Here’s
a handy guide to help determine sunlight and your plants.
Finding these things out and determining the area you live in can
help you to select what types of vegetables you can try to grow in
your area. It’s important to know what zone you live in, what plants
work well in that zone, what vegetables grow well in containers,
and how much shade your patio gets.
After figuring these first steps out it’s time to figure out when you are
to plant. Some parts of the US can begin planting in January while
others have to wait until June.
By Joanie ~Simple Living Mama
The first year that I ever tried to grow anything was a disaster. I knew
that I wanted some tomatoes and peppers, but I did not have a clear
picture of how I was going to help my plants grow and actually set
fruit. The only vegetable I got from my pepper and tomato plants was a
tiny, sad bell pepper.
Once you have a general idea of what you want to plant, you need to
figure out when to plant it. I found the website, www.sproutrobot.com
through Pinterest. All you do is enter your zip code and it will tell you
exactly when to plant your seeds or seedlings. I write all of this down
in my notebook, too.
So, with my notes in hand I can decide when will be the best time to
plant certain crops. If you’re growing veggies in containers, I
recommend buying seedlings rather than seeds. When you start seeds
you usually end up with a lot of plants. If you only need one or two
tomato plants, for instance, just buy the seedlings. You also will not
have to worry about getting the seeds going or thinning them out.
You can use your notebook to keep track of everything that goes on
during the growing season. How many peppers did your bell pepper
plant yield? If you have it written down, it will be much harder to
forget! You can use your notes to help you plan for the next season. If
you decide that one of your goals is to produce enough food to not only
feed you throughout the season, but to have enough to store for the
winter, you will have a much better idea if you know how much a
single plant usually yields you.
I love doing seeds because they are cheap and it’s fun to watch them
grow. But they do take more work, and not all vegetables work as
well from seeds.
Some vegetables can be very difficult to start from seeds and you
are better off paying a little extra to buy a young plant. If you are
very unsure of this whole planting thing, then just start off with
young plants and worry about seeds next year!
See the website for more details on how to read the list. But
basically,
“This product contains station freeze/frost probability tables for
each state. Given are the dates of probable first and last
occurrence, during the year beginning August 1 and ending July
31 of freeze related temperatures, probable duration where the
temperature exceeds certain freeze related values; and the
probability of experiencing a given temperature, or less, during
the year period August 1 through July 31.”
The last expected frost date where I live is somewhere around the
end of January to beginning of February. This is very early,
and undoubtedly many of your last frost dates will be closer to May.
So let’s take a look at the back of the seed packet.
The first thing to notice is the small map of the United States. It
is loosely color coded by area. Locate what color you are in (I’m in
green) and then look at the legend right above it.
For these cucumbers, the legend suggests that these should be
planted February-June. If you are in the Northern part of the
United States, you wouldn’t plant these until at least late may
(cucumbers are sun lovers).
Also, under suggestions they warn to only plant these seeds after
ALL danger of frost is past. You want to make sure they won’t
freeze.
Because of this, you want to start the seeds indoors 4-6 weeks
before your last frost. For example, if your last frost is predicted to
be at the end of May, then you want to start these seeds mid-March
to April.
So to recap, you have picked the plants you want to grow and you know
when you need to start your seeds, so now comes the planting.
I was overwhelmed at this stage because I had no idea where to
begin. So I called up my brother-in-law (a gardening expert) and
headed out to Home Depot. If you have a local nursery this is great
too, but Home Depot or Lowes is a good alternative.
Plan to spend a little while at Home Depot and spend time looking
through the seed packets. Read the backs, as they will often contain
a LOT of great information. For example, some varieties of the
vegetables are bred to do better in containers; the seed packet will
tell you this!
This is the jiffy pellet greenhouse that I used this year. It has great
instructions and is super easy to use. I have a video showing how I
planted my seeds this year with the jiffy pellet greenhouse.
3 WHERE TO BUY
An alternative to Home Depot or your local nursery is to buy
seeds online or via a catalog. It’s a great way to pick seeds and
items that your local store doesn’t carry. The only downside is that,
because you can buy anything you want, you may not be buying
seeds that will grow well in your area, so be a smart shopper before
buying!
Catalogs: This has been a classic and favorite way to order seeds
and young plants since long before the internet. Many of these
catalogs are online now of course, but they are still a great resource.
Try Burpee Seeds and Plants for a great selection or check out this
list of 48 Free Seed and Plant catalogs.
Starting seeds is actually a very simple process and is a cheap
alternative to buying all young plants. Your seeds will need to grow
and eventually be transplanted into larger pots and then set outside.
Tiffany ~No Ordinary Homestead
Growing your own seedlings from seeds you buy or collect is an easy
and fun way to get your garden started. A few seeds cost a fraction of
the price of individual store-bought seedlings. And you’ll have access to
a much larger array of plants as well as heirloom varieties of
everything you grow. If you can get seeds from your local area (or
which were grown in the same climate zone), your success rate will also
be higher.
If you live in a cooler climate or one with drastic weather changes from
season-to-season, chances are that you are going to need to extend your
growing season. One of the easiest
ways to do this is by starting your
seeds indoors, whether you’ve got
them on your windowsill or in a
heated greenhouse.
First you’ll want to get all of your materials together. You can either
use your own soil mixture with compost, or just buy some at the store.
You’ll need about 20 liters of soil for a container that is 15x24inches big
and filled to a depth of about 3 inches.
If you end up with containers with holes in the sides (like we did) you’ll
want to line the containers with a few sheets of newspaper. This will
keep all your soil inside and absorb excess water as well, which will
later go into your plants.
The size of your containers will determine the number of seeds you can
plant. In most cases, you’ll want to give each plant about 1 square inch
of space to sprout in. Fast growing plants like beans will need to be
transplanted out of the bins into an in-between pot or into its final
container if you have room for them somewhere warm. Or you can give
larger plants a bigger area of the flat so you don’t have to transplant
them as quickly.
Now you’re ready to start your growing your own seedlings instead of
spending a fortune on them from local stores or garden sites.
Get a 6-8 week head start. Double check your seed packets
before you get started (at least a few days before you plan to start
planting) to make sure how long they need. In most cases, your
seeds should be started 6-8 weeks before the last frost date for
your area. Starting earlier means you’ll have larger plants to
start with, but you also need a place to raise them in until the
danger of frost has passed.
Use fertilizer-rich soil. Starting your seeds in soil containing
fertilizer (whether you buy it or create your own) allows them to
get an additional boost when they start growing. But do
remember not to fertilize them again until you put them in a new
container.
Select an area that stays above 50°F or more during the
day. This might be somewhere near a window or heater…or even
on a heating mat that you use or purchase for this purpose. Some
seeds, like peppers, need even warmer temperatures to sprout,
and usually take a lot longer to open up than others.
Don’t over water! It’s quite simple to give your seeds way too
much water when you are starting out. Using an old spray bottle
to mist them is far more effective. Otherwise you may end up
with moldy seeds and soil (which you definitely don’t want).
Plant 2-3 seeds in each hole and thin out the weakest
plants. Planting a few of each seed will increase your rate of
success because you’ve got more seeds to germinate. I really
dislike clearing out the weaker plants, but if you keep the strong,
healthy plants, you’ll also end up with the best produce from
them.
Remember to acclimate your plants to harsher weather.
About two weeks before you’re ready to transplant your seedlings out
in the world, you should set the flats outside during the day. This way
they’ll get used to changes in temperatures, wind, rain and so on. Just
don’t let them freeze or get too cold early on in the process.
Now that you have got your seeds going, you should notice sprouts
within 5-7 days. If you missed my video on planting seeds, after you
plant the seeds you want to put them indoors in a warm dark location
(on top of a fridge is the perfect place) and let them sit. You shouldn’t
need to water or even touch your jiffy pellets for a good week or more.
Now you want to watch for when they get their first real leaves.
After the initial leaves form, you want to prop open your lid and let
some air in but don’t take it off all the way yet.
Soon (another week or so) your plants will be touching the roof of
your lid. Now it is time to take the lid off and move the plants in
front of a window sill. You want them to start getting light!
Now is the time to watch that their soil doesn’t try out. You want
the soil to stay moist (though not soaking), so add water when you
notice the tops are getting dry.
TRANSPLANTING
As your frost free date approaches, it’s time to start thinking about
transplanting and taking your seedlings outdoors.
Generally, once a seedling plant has 3-4 true leaves, it’s time to
take them outdoors and transplant them.
Know what you are planting before buying your containers and
just make sure they have holes in the bottom (or be ready to
put your own holes in).
Many plants can be great and rewarding to grow from seeds, but
the following are great to start from young plants as
well: tomatoes, most types of herbs, cucumbers, and peppers
(although I currently have all of these
growing from seeds indoors right now,
but this is up to you!).
But you must constantly watch your plants for signs of disease, water
often (but not too often), prune and care for your plants.
Keep a watchful eye out for any changes in your plant’s color,
look, and leaves. Sometimes your plant might look stunted and
not as tall or full as it should. Other times the leaves have holes
or off colors.
Basically you want to water the plant enough to wet the soil,
but you don’t want the plant sitting in water either, as this can
cau se the roots to rot. Spraying the leaves can also help the
plant to absorb more water.
If you are in a climate with little rain water, then you want to
water about once a week. If you have a very rainy spring and
summer, then regularly check your plants. If their soil does not
dry out then you likely don’t need to water them.
You can also add fertilizer to your soil if you want to give your
plants a boost. Visit your local nursery to find good fertilizers for
container vegetables.
Herbs are easy to grow and are so yummy to add to your cooking.
Even if you are not ready for a full scale patio vegetable garden, having
a small herb garden can be a great alternative.
You can continually use bits of the herbs and it will replenish
the plant. In fact, many herbs actually need this constant
pruning to stay healthy. So use your herbs often and they will
flourish!
With herbs, you can grow from seeds or grow from young plants in a
very similar way you would with vegetables. With a full vegetable
garden, I like to start most plants from seeds because it is much
cheaper in the end.
But if you plan to only have a few herb plants, then it might be
easier to just purchase the young herb plants and be ready to start
using them in your cooking right away.
PLANTING IN POTS
A general rule of thumb with herbs is that you want about a 6inch
pot per plant for them to grow. And you want it at least 6 inches
deep to allow for root growth.
You are also welcome to plant multiple herb plants in the same
container. A garden of herbs in a large container can be a great
accessory to a window sill so it’s within easy reach when cooking.
WATERING
Do not water herbs too much. They do not like to sit in water, it will
kill them. Water herbs when the soil is noticeably dry to the touch
and keep it watered enough to maintain moisture. You do not want
plants sitting in the water.
HARVESTING HERBS
USING HERBS
Once you snip them, you want to wash them in cold water and dry
carefully before adding to your dinner.
Basically, growing herbs is very easy, cheap, and fun to harvest for
cooking. Anyone (even if you have a black thumb and kill most
plants) can grow herbs and not have the pressure of a full vegetable
garden.
You might think that since you are gardening and growing your
own vegetables that it must be “organic”. But even growing at home
may not be organic.
In this way, Nature does the work for you. Gardening organically
doesn’t need to be a hassle. Really, its gardening and letting
nature take its course.
Big time farmers often add all kinds of chemicals and additives,
not only to keep pests away, but also to plump up vegetables and
to make them look more attractive. They add cancer causing
chemicals to these “healthy” vegetables to make them look more
appealing in the grocery store, but at the cost of having to ingest
more and more harmful chemicals.
You may think you are being healthy by eating more vegetables,
but in reality you are just upping your chemical intake. And
although these chemicals are supposed to be making the
vegetables better, often they are adding chemicals that you will be
ingesting and they are stripping the vegetables of important
nutrients your body needs so that the end vegetable you eat is not
as nutritious as you may think. By growing your own vegetables,
you can avoid all of these chemicals all together.
By Kate ~Teaching What is Good
The Container
A bucket that is 12-18 inches deep is best. Red Wrigglers (particularly)
like to be closer to the surface so they can breathe. Your bucket must
have drain holes drilled into the bottom of it (for fluid to drain and for
air) and something under it to catch the liquid that will drain out. This
liquid is very rich fertilizer. DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!
The Bedding
You’ll need to prepare the bedding for your worms. Shred newspapers
into 1 inch strips and soak it in water. Be sure and wring them out
really well. If they are too wet the worms will drown. Then fluff the
newspapers up so they are not a matted clump. The worms need to be
able to move in and around it. Add some soil or sand to just barely
cover the top of this. Worms need soil or sand to help them digest their
food.
The Worms
Now you are ready to add the worms. I moved sections of the bedding
aside and put worms into and under it, then covered them gently over.
Once they are all in the bucket, cover them with a lid. Do not feed them
food scraps for 7 days after they are added to the new bedding.
The Scraps
Worms like to eat most vegetables or fruit scraps. Do not give meat,
dairy or cooked food to the worms. I would add grass clippings from the
summer and sometimes a bit of leaves in the fall. They like coffee
grounds (I had friends who would give me theirs). If I had really large
rinds, I’d chop it small and put it in the food processor to get it really
small. This helps them to eat it quicker. If you use egg shells,
PULVERIZE THEM. I learned this the hard way!
When you add the scraps, spread them around and mix into the
bedding, don’t just leave it all on top.
Keep the bed moist but not wet, fluffy not compacted.
In the first few weeks, they may try to escape – I had to keep the
light on in the basement for the first 4 weeks until they learned
to stay inside the bucket.
When all the bedding has been composted, shove the compost to one
side of the bucket, and re-do the bedding phase on the other side. The
worms will migrate over to where the food is and then you can remove
the compost and use it in the garden.
This is a really fun project and one that the children can do on their
own. Your worm colony will grow or shrink according to the amount of
food scraps they get. The more scraps, the faster they will multiply.
Happy composting!
By Bethany ~Pursuing the Heart of Womanhood
Tis well into the season for planning gardens and drooling over seed
catalogs. I would like to point something out to you in case you didn't
already know. While you're seed-shopping, you may want to keep your
eyes open for something called the "Safe Seed Pledge".
It is a pledge that some seed companies take to let you know that they
do not support, nor sell GMO seeds. This stands for "genetically
modified organisms". And that is what they are: seeds with organisms
that have been genetically modified or added in by scientists. Some
people think this is great, and that they produce stronger and more
productive plants with the ability to feed more people per acre. But
some people are quite adamant against GMOs - in more reasons than
one.
Self-destructing seeds (the seed grows one plant, but any seeds
you save are sterile and will never produce)
These are some common reasons why people like to avoid GMOs. I
won't hide my opinion. Personally these reasons are plenty enough for
me to run the other way. God gave me this body and I intend to try to
honor it and take good care of it. How can I know these things and then
look the other way, knowing that I'm hurting this vessel that God
created for His glory? Likewise, how could I feed this to my kids some
day with a clear consience? And besides these, it's also obvious that I
would like to take care of my body so I can feel healthy and not droggy.
That's always a bonus to good eating habits!
So all this aside, it is now your turn to make your own decision. If you
want to know more about GMOs, do a search for it online, or watch
"Food Inc." or "The Future of Food". They are both interesting and
great documentaries - not at all boring in my opinion. Note that they
are both anti-GMO documentaries.
I also want to just add a quick note for those of you who are wondering,
"What about hybrids?" Well, there is a bit of confusion about them. A
hybrid is often just two different types of, let's say tomatoes, that they
cross-pollinated. By doing this, the resulting next generation of plants
will be different - and in the creator's desire, hopefully better.
But some people say that hybrid plants are often forced to pollinate
with things that they naturally wouldn't pollinate with. Another
downfall to this is that you have to rely on the supplier who breeds
your favorite tomato to give you your seed. And guess what? That
supplier can often be Monsanto or a friend of theirs. So if you're trying
to boycott GMOs, but still buy hybrids, there's a chance that you're still
putting the money into the same pocket.
Do your research on who owns it before you buy it. But the worst part
is that sometimes people even use the names "hybrid" and "GMO"
interchangeably without realizing they're talking about the opposite
thing. So be SUPER careful if you do chose to buy hybrid seeds, if
you're trying to avoid GMOs. Just think of Mr. Hybrid as the little
brother of Mr. GMO and you should get the picture. Perhaps not quite
as threatening to you, but still a threat. Here's a great link I found the
other day that explains it and is very interesting.
And those kids WILL get cavities some day if they gourge themselves
on candy. We all know that now from the experience of past
generations. Will these things listed above happen to us if we continue
with GMOs? I'm sorry to say it, but they probably will. We cannot
affford to be short-sighted. For the sake of our own future, but also for
the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and our great-
grandchildren.
But now it's your turn. It's time to do your research and make your
own choice! What do YOU think about GMO seeds?
When you head to your local nursery, buy some seeds and plant
them, you may feel like you are gardening organically, but there is
so much more to it than that. Gardening organically means buying
organic seeds, soil, and using the right materials to ward off
pesticides and grow healthy vegetables. Thankfully, once you
understand a few principles gardening organically is really very
simple.
1 ORGANIC SEEDS
Gardening organically starts with the seeds. Basically the
first thing you want to look for is the USDA Organic stamp.
To have this stamp the products must follow these guidelines.
So when looking for seeds, you want to find ones that are labeled
Organic. Why does this matter for seeds? Basically, it is because
many seeds are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s). This
means that genes or cells from plants were modified or altered in
some way. This could mean that plants are more resistant against
pesticides or extends the vegetables shelf life.
If you plan to start seeds in jiffy pots like I do, then this jiffy organic
seed starting mix is perfect!
3 ORGANIC CARE
A major difference between gardening organically and
regular gardening is in how you care for your plants. If you
buy your vegetables at a regular grocery store then you are
getting genetically modified vegetables that have been sprayed
with pesticides that are designed to kill living organisms that
attack vegetables.
I hope that this helps point you in the right direction when it comes to
gardening organically! The main thing to keep in mind is all of the
chemicals involved even in home gardening.
Be aware and on guard for chemicals and additives that can be
harmful to the human body, especially kids. By buying organic
seeds, soil, and other helpers organically, you can avoid having your
family ingesting these harmful chemicals, and ultimately your
vegetables will taste better, be more nutritious for your body, and
are cheaper in the long run.
Another thing to look for is that while there are some safe ways to
deal with pests, not all bugs are bad and/or harmful to your garden.
Bethany shares with us how we can better understand the role of
“good bugs” in the garden.
From Bethany ~Pursuing the Heart of Womanhood
Mary Jo is showing her gardening friend, Jane, her new pots of tomatoes and green
beans. She displays them proudly and her friend tells her they look great.
Suddenly a green, lacy-winged bug crawls out from under a leaf and reveals itself
to the onlookers.
"How can a bug be good? Bugs eat tomato plants so I don't want it around my
plants, " states Mary Jo, glaring down at the green, lacy-winged creature.
"Some bugs ARE bad, but some bugs are actually good. And they don't eat your
tomato plants at all."
"Really? Tell me more about these good bugs. What do they do?"
"Well, you see," begins Jane. "Different good bugs have different kinds of jobs. Some
good bugs help pollinate your plants. Without pollination, you won't get as much
fruit on your plants, or worse, not any at all. Of course you know that bees help do
this because people talk about them all the time. Take good care of your bees.
Remember the other day when I was telling you about GMOs?"
"Well, some people say that the GMO soybeans are bad for the bees, and are
actually causing them to die!"
"That's terrible!"
"We do need to take care of our good bugs. They're more important than people
realize."
"What other kinds of good bugs pollinate plants?" asks Mary Jo, as she glances
back at the lacy bug on her plant.
"Well I have a chart here that I put together the other day, and I think I stuck it in
my bag...." Jane starts rummaging through her things. "There are other things that
good bugs do too. Some good bugs even eat weeds."
"Are you serious?! How in the world is it supposed to tell what's a weed and what
isn't?"
"Well, they were made to eat certain things. But remember, a weed is only
something that people don't know what it's good for yet." Jane laughs. "I remember
the first time someone told me that.... But anyway, you have to watch out though.
We already know that some BAD bugs eat our gardens up, so as you can guess,
many of them eat weeds too. In fact, sometimes people will leave a couple of certain
types of weeds in their garden because the bad bugs will eat the weeds instead of
their plants."
"Now that is cool," Mary Jo ponders. "I always learn so much when you come over!"
Jane laughs. "Well, I'm glad I can help. There are so many basic things about
gardening that we've lost touch with and people need to know it to really grow a
garden that is in harmony with nature."
As she continues to look through the things in her bag she continues. "Some good
bugs' diets consist of the bad bugs. It's the way nature's cycle was created. They lay
their eggs on the bad bugs who are trying to take bites out of your veggies or spread
diseases to them, and the good bug babies feed on the bad bugs when they hatch. It
sort of sounds gross, but it's just how God made them."
"It's a little gross, but not really when you think about it. I guess every animal has
it's own type of food they were created to eat."
"So do good bugs only do one thing, or do some of them pollinate plants, eat weeds,
AND have larvae that feeds off of the bad bugs?" inquires Mary Jo.
"Yup, some of them do a bunch of things to help us out. It varies depending on their
bug. They've each got their own personality I guess you could say! Some only lay
their larvae on certain bugs too, or only at certain stages. It's different from bug to
bug."
Jane's face brightens as she finally pulls out a thin stack of papers that are stapled
together. "Here it is!"
Mary Jo leans over to look as Jane unfolds the paper. "See?" says Jane." This shows
just a couple of the good bugs that are native to the US. With this you can tell what
they look like."
"Hey! That's my bug!" Mary Jo exclaimed. "It's got the same lacy wings....so it's a
Lacewing?"
"That is so cool. Is there a way that I can get more good bugs to be by my plants?"
"Well some of them like to live in mulch, or dead leaves, or compost. Stuff like that.
And of course they need bad bugs to feed on or else they'll go elsewhere. But besides
those things, see? Look at this other page. There are lots of plants that attract good
bugs, but here is a list of a couple of them. Each plant attracts their personal variety
of beneficial insects, so it would be good to look that sort of thing up," says Jane.
Mary Jo looks over the list of plants that attract good bugs. It says things like:
alfalfa, anise hyssop, caraway, clover, dandelion, dill, dwarf alpine aster, English
lavender, fennel, gloriosa daisy, goldenrod, hairy vetch, lemon balm, marigold,
parsley, Queen Anne's lace, spearmint, sweet alyssum, tansy, yarrow, and zinia.
“That is so cool. Can I get a copy of these papers?" she asks. "I've got a copy machine
in the office."
"Sure."
Mary Jo looks back at her new lacy-winged friend, just in time to see it slip away
on its mission towards another plant. She gives a little grin and heads into the
house.
~~The End~~
Below are the good bugs that Jane showed to Mary Jo. Use this as a guide and look
at it often so you can remember these little guys when you're tending your own
plants. Keep in mind that this is by no means and extensive list of all good
bugs everywhere, but just a little something to get you started with a couple
common bugs.
For great additional reading on the topic I suggest you read the bug section in the
book Gaia's Garden, by Toby Hemenway. It has a really neat chart in it that shows
you a couple plants that will attract certain types of good bugs. Good Bugs, Bad
Bugs by Jessica Walliser is also a great book to read which includes pictures and
short descriptions of some good bugs and some bad bugs.
Tomatoes
Knowing when to harvest tomatoes is all about the color. Wait
until your tomatoes have a nice red color to them and are
slightly soft to the touch. Then do the taste test and you should
be good to go. Gently twist the tomatoes and they should pull
easily off the vine. Don’t force them or pull to hard, they are
not ready yet if this is the case.
Green Onions
When green onions reach their ideal size, it’s time to harvest.
These are easy to tell when they are ready to harvest. Cut off
the roots and the very top and they are ready to eat!
Cucumbers
Cucumbers can be a little tricky as harvesting
varies largely depending on the variety. Generally, wait until
the cucumbers are 5-8 inches long and then do the taste test.
Peppers
Peppers also vary depending on the variety. But you want to
watch for the right color of the pepper, pick and do the taste
test.
KEEP PICKING
If you want to extend the time when your plants produce
vegetables, then you need to keep regularly picking. Some plants
produce one crop and they are done. Others, like zucchini and
peppers, need you to keep picking the ripe vegetables or they will
stop producing.
A common question among those unfamiliar with juicing is, “Why juice
veggies when you can just eat them?” Although fiber and roughage is
lost when fruits and vegetables are juiced, we get an incredible amount
of all the benefits live, raw, straight-from-the-earth-food can offer! On
average, most Americans do not consume enough fruits and vegetables.
When they do, the portions are too small and over-cooked, delivering a
drastically insufficient amount of vitamins and antioxidants.
In our home, we are pretty good about using any fresh thing we can
find. For example, if we pick broccoli from the garden we may eat the
florets for dinner and use the stalks and leaves in our juice the
following morning. There is no better way to get every last drop out of
your garden than juicing!
So what are the best fruits and veggies to juice? First, I suggest you
assess your diet. What do you and your family lack on a regular basis?
Then, I suggest focusing on all things green. Chlorophyll is what
makes a plant green and is essentially the energy of the sun harnessed
in plant form!
Plan this before your plants are ready to harvest. You want to be
able to plan this long before your kitchen is overrun with tomatoes
and cucumbers!
HERBS
Herbs do best when you regularly harvest them. It allows the
plants to continuously grow and sprout new stalks. But often this
can leave you with an overabundance of herbs. You have a couple
options for herbs.
Dry Herbs:
Drying herbs help to preserve their flavor so that you can use
them for months to come. Vegetable Gardener has an
excellent step by step photo guide detailing how to do this.
After they have been dried you can store these for months or
package them and give them as gifts.
Freeze Herbs
Freezing herbs is another great option for store herbs. It’s a
simple and easy process.
Chop your herbs, add a little bit to each cavity in an ice cube
tray, add water and freeze. Once frozen, take out and place in
a freezer bag to keep fresh. When ready to use, pop out and
add to sauces and meals.
I hope this gets you on the right track to preserving many of your
favorite vegetables and herbs all year long, without unnatural
preservatives and chemicals! I hope you are one step closer to eating
healthy.
Growing a vegetable garden can be such an excellent way to jump
start your family eating healthy and can drastically reduce the
amount of salt and chemicals you ingest along the way.
By Michele ~ Simple Scaife Family Farm
The glorious arrival of spring brings with it the wondrous joy of fresh
berries. Plump berries filled with drippy sweet juices dangle from leafy
green stocks and thorny vines. No matter the type, spring berries are a
true delight to the farm kitchen.
When berries start to produce there are often very few at the start; one
here and one there, generally nibbled by the surprised harvester. Then,
with no warning at all the bushes bust forth with a heavy load filling
our baskets to the brim.
Freezing is our first and foremost method for berry preserving. Washed
and well dried, berries are first scattered in a single layer on trays and
placed in the freezer. This keeps them from sticking together later. The
frozen berries are bagged and labeled for later use. I bag in 2 cup
portions, just the right size for muffins and crisps.
Larger berries are sliced before freezing.
The other excellent method of preserving is jam! Jelly is nice, but the
wonderful lumps of fruit in jam gives us a heartier taste of those
delightful berries long after the season ends. Cleaned and crushed ever
so wonderfully, mixed with sugar and lemon then cooked slowly until
thick and bubbly. I love cute little pint jars with the 'quilted' glass
lending a rustic, homey look. Nothing satisfies a harvester's soul quite
like the pop of canning lids fresh from the canner.
Mash the berries in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add the chopped
apple and sugar. Cook fruit over medium low heat until the sugar
dissolves; stir frequently. Simmer and stir approximately twenty
minutes. Test jam by dropping a spoonful onto a chilled plate; if it
gels the jam is ready for jars. This jam freezes well and is excellent
when processed in a water bath canner for seven minutes
By Michele ~ Simple Scaife Family Farm
After a nice bath, the chard is placed between two towels; rolled up and
given a nice squeeze. I do have a salad spinner, but for some reason I
just like to do the chard (and kale) this way. To me, it gets them dryer
faster.
Once the chard is clean and dry they are placed in freezer storage bags
with as much air as possible pressed out. I have read several
recommendations to blanch the chard before freezing, but I didn't like
the texture of it once it thawed (kind of slimy… ew).
So here's the process. For every 20 tomatoes use: 6 garlic cloves and a
9x13 dish. Turn the oven on 375 and wash the tomatoes. Core the
tomatoes and basically tear them into pieces (skin on, seeds in, you
can rough chop them if it makes more sense) and place them in the
dish. Clean the garlic adding it to the tomatoes.
Drizzle olive oil over the whole thing… salt it good and add a light
dash of sugar (cuts the acidity of the tomato). Sometimes I stop here,
stir it up and cook it - leaving herbs to be added when I use the
sauce; not always. My herbs are generally fresh from the garden:
rosemary, oregano, thyme- one or all or a mix.
The baking is 375 for about 30 minutes… if you like a "fresh sauce". I
often cook for a full hour to reduce the juice a bit giving us a bolder
flavor and color. The key is to give it a stir every 20 minutes or so to
keep the edges from getting over done. From here I run the sauce
through a food mill to get a smooth sauce and to remove the tomato
skins. This recipe freezes well in re-sealable freezer bags or
processed in a pressure canner.
Now, what I love about my flex-recipe is it adjusts to "on hand". If I
have ten tomatoes, adjust to three garlic…drizzle with oil and
salt/sugar… cook. Five tomatoes… yep, just adjust. When the garden
goes crazy and I harvest a bucket load...you guessed it… just adjust!
I can make one batch or several… a 9x13 or a big old roaster pan full.
By Michele ~ Simple Scaife Family Farm
In order to make preservation fit my small farm kitchen, the kids and I
have developed a station set up. Each method has no more than three
stations, has the most basic supplies needed, and creates closeness
without crowding.
The wash and prep station handles the washing of jars. Once the jars
are washed I place them into a 115 degree oven to keep them warm
and sterile. I place clean jars upside down on a towel lined baking
sheet. This keeps water from collecting in the bottom of the jar.
After the jars are prepped, this station takes charge of cleaning and
preparing veggies for canning. This station is equipped with a cutting
board, knife, bowl for scraps and a bowl for cleaned produce. Generally
this station is near the sink for quick rinse and work efficiency.
This station is where the action finally happens; sealing those jars. I
set my station with a towel lined baking sheet and tongs right next to
my canner. As jars are removed from the hot canner, they are placed on
the towel to cool and set.
Freezing Efficiently: Three Station Set Up
Station 1: Wash & Prep
This station takes charge of cleaning and preparing veggies for the
blanching process and is equipped with a cutting board, knife, bowl for
scraps and a bowl for cleaned produce. Generally this station is near
the sink for quick rinse and work efficiency.
This station is set on the stove top; water maintains a rolling boil over
medium high heat while ice water is on hand for a quick stop to the
cooking process. Tongs and ladles are on hand to retrieve food from the
elements while a towel lined baking sheet waits to hold the vegetables
once the blanching process is complete.
Here the vegetables are patted dry and packed in airtight bags before
heading to the freezer. We like to place the filled bags on baking sheets
in the freezer. Once fully frozen, the bags will stack nicely on freezer
shelves.
Dehydrating: Two Stations, Two Ways
I only use the open air drying method for whole veggies or herbs;
mainly hot peppers and herbs. For this station you simple need a
needle and thread. For herbs, I make small bundles, tie the stems, and
hang them in a well ventilated place with no direct sunlight.
For whole peppers I string the needle through the stem part of the
pepper and hang the long strand in a cool area away from direct
sunlight.
But if you are in an area where you don’t get much sunlight,
growing vegetables can be a problem. You must consider first how
much sunlight you actually get, and second, determine which plants
are best to grow.
For our patio, we get a lot of afternoon sun. It’s not 8 hours’ worth
of sun, but because we get a lot of hot afternoon sun, we are able
to still grow sun loving vegetables.
SUN LOVERS
Flowering vegetables are sun lovers. This would include tomatoes,
cucumbers, peppers, and peas. These vegetables typically require
anywhere from 6-12 hours of direct sunlight a day. You can still
grow these with 6 hours of sunlight but they won’t produce as
many vegetables and they probably won’t taste as good.
SO YOU DON’T GET VERY MUCH SUN, WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Really, your plants survival also depends on how warm or cold
your climate is as well. We live in a very temperate climate and
our plants never get very cold. Try a couple young plants out
and see how they do. Buy 1 tomato plant and test out your
sunlight and then reevaluate next year as to if you should plant a
full patio garden or not.
Swap with a friend. Get together with a friend who has full
sunlight. Ask her to grow (or help her) tomatoes and other sun
lovers and in turn you will grow spinach and lettuce. Then once
harvest time comes you share your vegetables. You then each get
a little of both!
If you absolutely must have some vegetables, you can try growing
herbs indoors under heat lamps. However, this can cost energy
and precious space inside.
All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman
Gaia's Garden: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby
Hemenway
Permaculture by Sepp Holzer
Suggested videos:
The Future of Food
Food, Inc.
Erin is the wife of one and the mother of two! In addition to gardening
and photography, she enjoys the daily, ever-evolving, challenge of
building a home for her family. She blogs at Pennies for Pearls where
she discusses all things home, family, and faith: the pearls of life.
Joanie Boeckman is a country mama who loves Jesus. Her husband
is her American hero and her two children are her world. She loves
watching her backyard chickens peck the ground, learning about real
food, and finding creative ways to organize her house. You can find
her blogging about homemaking, baby raising, and money saving at
Simple Living Mama. Also check her out on Facebook for fun
updates!
Chapter 1: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=987
Chapter 2: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1970,
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Chapter 5: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1750,
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Chapter 8: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404.
Chapter 9: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2821,
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