My baba always had the best carrots. The best cucumbers. The best apples. She had dedicated her entire backyard to being one giant garden and spent the majority of her summers outside weeding, watering and pruning her beloved plants. As children, my siblings and I thought pulling carrots, picking raspberries and shucking peas was more fun than any game. Especially when you could taste the wares!
My mother also inherited the green thumb, and has a successful garden (albeit mostly flowers now) that thrives every summer, and drives her to wake with the sun to get planting.
This year, I'm hoping that my thumbs turn green as I attempt a garden of my own. Gardening at home is a great hobby, great way to save money at the supermarket, and a great way to create a feeling of accomplishment as you look at the fruit (perhaps literally) of your labour sitting pretty in the yard. I bought some organic seeds at the local greenhouse and am counting down the days until the snow is gone to begin my gardening experiment. Having a home garden is an awesome way of knowing what you're putting into your body as well, because you control the way in which your produce is grown. Another perk to growing your own produce? It tastes amazing. No one can contest the fact that a homegrown carrot fresh out of the dirt tastes better than a store-bought one, or that raspberries fresh off your bush have less mold, and a bolder taste than ones found in the supermarket.
Tell us some tales about your gardens! What do you grow, do you make your own compost? Any secret tips? Comment below!
In the meantime, for all you beginners like me, this website has some very basic tips: Basic Tips
Also, for you pros, or those who participate in community gardens, check out this great deal to get free organic seeds! (you only pay shipping, Americans only) Seeds of Change.
Last year I began to try my thumb at creating my own compost. I'd toss in alternating layers of my "greens" and "browns"--broken twigs, slimy peelings, and even the odd clump of dryer lint or shredded paper! Thought not much has been happening with it throughout the dead of winter, I'm curious to see what this spring and summer yield in terms of the bottom of the bin--I'm hoping for some good, black earth! ;)
ReplyDeleteI also started my venture into gardening last year by planting some tub tomatoes I got for $2 a plant near the end of June (for my birthday! ;) Just a few small plants in buckets and pots yielded enough cherry tomatoes to last my husband and I the entire summer--and then some! We loved enjoying such fresh (and free!) tomatoes, not to mention regularly making little tomato care packs for our friends and family members and sending them off with the fresh little rubies.
This year, I can't wait to get back into my tub gardens, returning to tomatoes, but venturing into a salad garden and possibly some squash as well. For newbie gardeners like me, I loved that I could pick up these tubs and experiment with moving them around (into or out of the sun/wind, etc) before committing to laying down a full spread of garden in my expanse of yard.
Best of luck as you begin this new venture--it's addicting! ;)