Photo by Computix
After musing about how food is processed and the dangers we hear regarding processed food my husband and I decided that we would grow our own veggie garden. With the words pounding in my head, “can’t eat pork; swine flu, can’t eat chicken; bird flu, can’t eat meat; Mad Cow, can’t eat eggs; salmonella or can’t eat fish; heavy metals in their water. Well I drew the line about veggies and fruits that have the “bad” herbicides and pesticides” and decided to plant some things I know are okay to eat. Hikes! So much bad press about the four letter word, F-O-O-D!
So I have two healthy peach trees started and I got online to buy a tree called a “fruit cocktail” tree that has been grafted with four different fruits. Growing well I might add. Next came the desire to grow the veggie garden. At first we were not sure where to begin, which part of the yard to give up to this project and finally settled on a whiskey barrel on the patio that has garlic, green onions and cilantro growing along with a hanging tomato planter. Then we made a space for tomato and peppers plants and well, more garlic in a flower garden that we re-homed veggies in. And finally to complete this project move on to a 4 x 6 foot raised bed that will have more tomatoes along with some other veggies we haven’t decided on yet. I think maybe eggplant would be a nice addition. Or possibly sweet corn, squash, okra, or snap beans. Another thing I did was plant yellow squash in my flower beds to run inbetween my flowers. It is a great idea to co-mingle the plant habitats and it adds dimension to the gardens.
Gathering all the information I could find led me to realize that I am not alone in the quest to grow a veggie garden. Raised beds are a convenient and easy way to have a few fresh veggies and it is not a full time garden project!
There are some disadvantages to a raised bed. For example it dries out faster in the hot summer months along with the added expense of the materials to build it. And they are not well suited to sprawling veggies like watermelons. But the great thing is my demographic is in Zone 7/8 so I have the added benefit of a longer growing season so I will be moving on to root vegetables later on in the season.
Water is a concern as well. Like every other cost rising in America the water bill is going up too. So problem solved! Rain barrels. I have two. Yesterday I got my second one after attending a workshop on rain barrel water conservation. And an added benefit there was I got a free rain barrel! Okay well sure I have to paint it and put the hardware on it but that sure beats a couple hundred dollars for a finished one! And I get to participate in a study on rain barrel use in my State. Since I already use a rain barrel I find this no hardship.
Okay you might say, that seems like a lot of work. Well a short cut is what is called a “Lasagna Garden” which is eco-friendly and pretty easy. It is a no-dig, no-till method and is eco-friendly because you use your yard and kitchen waste to “compost” your new garden. Anything you put in a compost pile you can put in the Lasagna garden. Here is a list just to name a few things that can go in the garden:
• Grass Clippings
• Leaves
• Fruit and Vegetable Scraps
• Coffee Grounds
• Tea leaves and tea bags
• Weeds (if they haven’t gone to seed)
• Manure
• Compost
• Seaweed
• Shredded newspaper or junk mail
• Pine needles
• Spent blooms, trimmings from the garden
• Peat moss
CAUTION!!!!! Never put meat products in the compost pile.
Just layer the garden alternating greens and browns, shredded newspaper, peat moss, grass clippings, etc. The best time to create this garden is in the fall so that it will be composted for spring gardening. And if you want more detail to get the finished product a book I found invaluable by Patricia Lanza; TipsLasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding! Is very useful.
I am pretty excited about trying my hand at this little garden project and maybe I can produce enough to have some tomatoes sauce for the fall or make homemade salsa. Yum!
Canning…well I will cross that bridge when I get to it!
May 27th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I love your ideas
May 30th, 2009 at 6:07 am
[...] Veggin’ out with Gray Gaia [...]
May 30th, 2009 at 6:10 am
[...] Veggin’ out with Gray Gaia [...]
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 am
[...] Veggin’ out with Gray Gaia [...]