Be Prepared: Grow Your Own Food

Last summer's bounty

There is no way to cover all the aspects of gardening in one small post. There are excellent websites and books by the hundreds to fill that need. The following are just some basic suggestions for getting started, and deciding what kind of home gardening will work for you.

Vegetable Gardens

There is a lot to consider when starting a vegetable garden. Where do you live? What kind of weather do you get? What gardening zone are you in? What kind of soil do you have, sandy or clay? Acid or alkaline? Do you get a lot of rain? How much room do you have for a garden? How much time do you have to work on it?

A good gardening book or website can answer many of these questions. You can also call your county extension service. They are extremely knowledgeable and can help you get off on the right foot. In the meantime, here are some things to consider:

• Gardens need lots of sun. Plan your garden plot to get the southern/western exposure for maximum sunlight. Avoid areas shaded with large trees or bushes.
• Gardens need lots of water. If you live in an area with high precipitation, you won’t need to hand-water as often. If you’re in a dry area, you will need a good watering system. Consider drip watering; it is more efficient, and will yield better plants and less waste.
• Gardens need good soil. If yours is poor, rocky, or heavy, it needs to be amended. This means you should mix in plenty of good stuff before you plant, such as manure, mulch, fertilizer, etc.
• Raised beds are easy to build and make gardening MUCH easier.
• If you have a small plot of land, plan carefully so you can have multiple crops during the growing season. For instance, peas are early crops, but tomatoes are tender and can’t handle frost. So plant the peas early, and start the tomatoes inside. When the peas are done bearing, remove the plants and put your tomato starts in their place.
• Get creative if your space is limited. Plant strawberries among your flowers. They’re attractive plants, and you’ll love the fresh fruit later in the summer. Grapes can climb the fence, both pretty and practical.
• If you have no land at all, try a container garden on your patio, or even in your kitchen window. Herbs are happy to grow in pots, as are tomatoes.
• Plant what you’ll eat. If you don’t like broccoli, don’t waste your time, effort, money, and space on it. If you love cucumbers, then plant them, even if their vines do take up a lot of space.
• Weed regularly. A few small weeds are easy to pull. Many large weeds are not. And weeds that have gone to seed because they were left too long merely make hundreds of new weeds.
• Rotate crops from year to year to avoid pests and disease.
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s healthier, and cheaper, and more convenient. Gardening is a good mood-lifter, too!
• Use heirloom (non-hybrid) seeds if you’re planning to save seeds from your plants for next year. Hybrid plants won’t work. This is especially important if you’re looking to be self-sufficient in the case of a food shortage.

Fruit Trees

• Plant trees that are self-pollinating when possible. If you are determined to have a tree that requires cross-pollination, make sure you plant a different variety nearby (i.e., a Bartlett Pear and an Asian Pear).
• Plant dwarf fruit trees. They won’t grow as tall, but they’ll still bear lots of fruit. Easier picking!
• Plant trees that will grow in your region. If you get snow in winter, you will not be able to grow oranges. Accept it and move on.
• Plant your trees in an area where fallen fruit won’t cause problems. No matter how vigilant you are, some of the fruit will fall. Do you want it all over your lawn?
• Spray your trees. You’ll be glad you did. Check the recommended schedule for your particular variety of fruit tree, and then follow it.  If you prefer organic gardening, there are many alternate methods for controlling pests and disease. 
• Pick the fruit often during harvest season. Check every day or two, so you can catch them as they ripen. Tree-ripened fruit always tastes better than fruit picked green and left to ripen on a countertop.
• Plan to preserve your fruit somehow. You will not be able to eat all the fruit that comes from a mature tree before it goes bad. Share with the neighbors, make jam, make pie filling, bottle it, dry it, make it into fruit leather, freeze it.
• If you already have a fruit tree, and you don’t want the fruit, tell your neighbors! There is always someone willing to come pick the fruit in exchange for keeping it. They get free fruit, you get a yard free of rotten fruit. Everyone wins.