Thursday, March 18, 2010

Getting the garden started

Spring is here and planting is about to begin this weekend. I plan to plant some Buttercrunch lettuce, Paris Island Cos Romaine lettuce, Winter Giant Spinach, and I will plant some Amish Snap Peas that I bought from Big John Lipscomb.  Now is the time to learn how to grow your own food.  I said this before but if you do not know how to grow food then you will starve if there is a collapse.  You do not need a big farm to learn how to grow food.  You can grow food in containers/flower pots.  Wherever you live you need to start now.

The first time you plant seeds, especially lettuce seeds, you will be amazed by how such a small seed can produce such a large plant.  Just so you understand, the lettuce you buy in the store isn't fully mature.  If you let the lettuce bolt (i.e., the lettuce starts to flower and seed) it could grow as tall as 2 feet.  Once you start growing your own food you will have a much better appreciation of life and how this earth truly sustains us.  Our modern world takes away this enjoyment. 

I finally received all the components for my Compost Tea Brewer and I plan to make some Compost Tea this weekend to introduce some microorganisms into my soil and mulch.  My wife isn't going to like it but I'm going to have to brew the tea indoors until the temperature is a little warmer.  Hopefully the air pump won't be too loud!

I also bought 3 apple trees which should be delivered in the next couple weeks.  I bought the Disease Resistant Apple Assortment from Stark Bro's which includes the GoldRush Apple Dwarf, Enterprise Apple Dwarf and Jonafree Apple Semi Dwarf.  Hopefully I will have some delicious apples in the next 1 or 2 years. 

Check out the below photos of the beginning of my 2010 garden.  I pulled back the hay and mulch to let the sun heat up the soil and to get it ready for planting.  I also spread some soybean meal which is a natural fertilizer.

Live the Motto - Be Prepared!



























3 comments:

  1. Fun stuff! We have a small container garden near our house that's planted in old galvanized buckets and tins and that's where I plant my lettuces. It's amazing the amount of food that will come out of those old tins! Lettuce, spinach, kale, just to name a few.

    Our main garden is nearly dried out after all the rain/snow melt, and I'm hoping we can get it tilled up this weekend. I simply cannot wait for those first green onions, lettuce and sugar snap peas!

    Such good advice to learn to garden now! It's not difficult, but I think the public has been conditioned to believe it IS. It takes a little work, but even poor soil will produce *something* that will sustain you.

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  2. I'm planning to follow the square foot gardening method this year. I got the soil amendments laid out yesterday in prep for the rain due today. I have 8 6x3 raised beds and 4 3x3 beds ready to plant after this last cold snap. I'm looking for a good year. Ive got three more beds planned to put in for blueberries and blackberries. Let spring begin!

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  3. Sweet! I just planted my 2x4 foot vegetable garden on Saturday. Now I just need to figure out how to get some sunlight in the back yard.

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