Now that you’ve decided what to plant and where to plant, it’s time to build your beds! The most basic technique for creating a garden bed is double digging.  As the name implies, double dug beds are carefully turned with a garden shovel once over the whole surface.  Some peat moss and/or compost can be sprinkled on top and then the whole bed is dug again.  Each round of shoveling should be at least four [...]

There are oodles of books about starting seeds from people far more qualified than me to be dispensing advice.  If you really want to know everything, I suggest searching out references at your local library. What we do here is a casual process guided mostly by the backs of the seed packets and our own yearning to be outside. Indoors we will soon start some peppers, tomatoes, and herbs.  Our setup is a simple plastic [...]

Location is the next consideration for  gardens after motivation and plant selection.  The ideal location will have 6 – 8 hours of sunlight a day, access to rain barrel or hose water, and convenience to the kitchen. In less than ideal locations or apartment dwellings, look for sunny spots where you can locate movable containers. To choose a location, observe the sunlight over a few days.  Generally, yards on south facing sides of structures will [...]

Do you want to grow potatoes this year?  So do I! However, I don’t have much space for them.  Potato tubers are usually sold in two pound bags at the minimum, which is more than I can use of any one kind. Let’s pool together and share an order of potatoes.I would like to grow Cranberry Red, All-Blue, and German Butterball potatoes.  The Seeds of Change catalog suggests that 2 pounds will plant 20 row [...]

In the introduction to my Grow Your Garden series, I shared reasons people garden.  I hope you have nailed down some inspiration because now it’s time to plan in earnest! My first principle of garden planning is to grow what you want to eat.  This sounds simple, but sometimes people plant what’s available or what their mother planted but it’s not something they actually want to consume.  Just last year, we planted a big row [...]

Edible gardening in an art and science that my family loves.  It doesn’t take much time, but at some moments gardening is a dirty, back breaking hobby.  So why do we share the love of growing things? Gardening connects us to nature. Growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables allows us to appreciate beautiful bees, the miracle of a seed sprouting, and life giving rain. Gardening beautifies the surroundings of our home, deck, and porch. Have something [...]