Introduction to Gardening for Food-Not Fun
Be kind it's my first diary.
I'm a conventional food grower utilizing 'best practices'. Growing food that I can eat sooner rather than later. Which means fertilizers and pesticides.
While other food production methods, organic, OMRI, permaculture, etc. may be better, they take longer and are labor intensive. I'm disabled, my husband still has a job, and I'm interested in eating as soon as possible.
Let's not take the time to discuss those methods for the moment.
You can be eating your first harvest in 25 days! Of course it's just regular ole radishes, but hey, that's what Scarlet O'Hara was digging up during her "as God is my witness I'll never be hungry again...." monologue.
First question to ask: What ZONE do you live in? Everything depends on your zone. We're going for a speedy harvest so start small and expand. You'll thank me later.
Okay, here goes! Where's the water? You won't have the energy to be dragging a hose around. Keep the garden less than 50 feet from the faucet.
Where does the sun shine and for how long? You're going to need at least 6 hours of daylight for blossoms to turn into food.
What is your soil like? This can be fixed but you may have to garden in raised beds for the time being. If possible get a soil test.
RESOURCES: Do you have a county extension office? Check out their website for location specific information.
Look for local food growers or small scale farming groups. Borrow books online from your local library.
It hurts my heart to say it but don't buy books or magazines. You'll get hung up on gardening porn. And there's more useful information in seed catalogs online.
There are so many moving and interdependent parts it's going to take more than one diary post. The learning curve is steep. This introduction should give you enough to be going on with.
Coming up: Seed selection and seed starting, must have garden tools. Soil and amendments. What to look for in your garden, pests, diseases, plant nutrition, and... Harvesting, fresh eating, and (hopefully)preserving.
Then if we make it that far, planning and plotting for the next season. Meanwhile…
Get out in your yard and start planning. Start digging. Shovels in the ground, people!
Here's a video tour of my FARMette from back in the day. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oWLVi1Y