gardening

I love to garden! Working in the yard is one of my favorite things to do. I love to sing songs about gardening to my kids, and read books about it too. Strange to some, but true for me. (We have already harvested our first crop of snap peas, but our tomatoes and the herbs I grew from seed in pots were eaten by snails. So sad! Since we are only renters there is not much we can do. *sigh*) But even if gardening isn’t exciting to you or it’s not your favorite thing to do, or even if you just plain don’t like it, we have still been counseled to have a garden—and in this economy it is becoming a necessity! So, here is some basic information to get (or keep) you going:

A Garden Kit could include:

·         Non-hybrid seeds (so you can dry seeds and use them next year)

·         Water

·         Dirt (composted or fertilized)

·         Pesticides/fungicides if you choose to use them

·         Sunshine (a place in your yard that gets about 6 hours of direct sunlight each day)

·         Information (any book about gardening, providentliving.org, an experienced gardener in your area, experience)

·         Tools/equipment- shovel, hoe, hula-hoe, spade, tomato cages, stakes, twine, watering can, hose, etc.  

The Church’s Provident Living Website truly is an amazing resource, and of course there is a section on gardening.

Aside from enjoying homegrown produce now, gardening would be essential if there were a long term emergency. It is so easy to rely on the local stores even when it comes to something as basic as gardening. “Gardening” was recently listed as one of the top three most expensive hobbies in the US! We need to learn the skills that would allow us to continue to garden without outside help. Planting a garden now will give you firsthand experience and will help you tailor this kit to fit your personal needs. Here are a couple other skills to learn now when your life doesn’t depend on it:

Composting

If you are not able to buy garden soil from the store the dirt in your yard may not be nutrient rich enough to support copious produce plants; you will need to supplement your soil. This can be done easily enough with a little time and effort through a process called composting. Here are the basics of how to compost for your garden:

There are two schools of thought: the compost pile and the open-air method.

For a compost pile you will be using leaves, lawn clippings, and plant kitchen scraps. Designate an area that is about 3 feet square, gets plenty of sunshine, and that is far away from the normal traffic of your family. Make a pile of your compost. Keep it moist but not wet. Turn it every two weeks or so. Use the pile every three months (except in winter, as the cold weather halts the process) and begin again. Incorporate the compost into the top 6 inches of the soil you plan to use.

For the open-air method, you will be using only plant kitchen scraps. Designate an area you want to use for planting in about 3 months. Till up the soil about 12 inches. Spread your kitchen scraps over the area for 6 weeks, turning the soil at 3 and 6 weeks time. For the remaining 6 weeks do not put any more scraps in the area, but turn the soil every 3 weeks. The soil is then ready for planting. This method is perfect if you have plans for a spring, summer, and fall garden because you can move from one area to the next, and compost year round.  

Be prepared to exterminate the bugs that have made their home in your pile/compost area before using it to plant your garden in by adding the pesticide of your choice. Diatomaceous earth is great because it is actually good for human digestive systems. Beneficial Nematodes are another organic solution to garden pests. Using dish soap/hand soap as an insecticide is also great because you will already have it on hand.

Saving Seeds

You will need to get your seeds from open pollinated, or heirloom plants to be sure to get a true variety that will grow up to be like its parent. Choose the best quality plants that produced well and were disease resistant to get seeds from. Harvest the seeds when the pods have dried on the plant (like peas), or when the vegetable is fully ripe (like squash). Dry the seeds in the sunshine on a paper towel (inside or outside) until no longer moist but not shriveled. Test a seed for doneness by breaking it in half; if you hear a crisp snap it is ready. Remove any chaff. Put the seeds in an envelope labeled with the variety and year, and then store in an airtight container where it is cool, dark and dry. Use them the following year for best results. 

Resources for Further Reading:

The New Encyclopedia of Gardening by American Horticultural Society Staff

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! By Mel Bartholomew

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith

Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery

Happy gardening!