“This year we have attempted to grow as much of our own food as possible in the city. In our society growing food yourself has become the most radical of acts. It is truly the only effective protest, one that can – and will – overturn the corporate powers that be.” Path to Freedom – The Original Modern Urban Homestead
Home Grown Asparagus
Tremendous progress achieved by the trucking, frozen food, and food processing industry is getting fruits and vegetables to the market as close to fresh picked as possible. Foods from the U.S., namely California, Florida, Arizona are available throughout the entire nation during winter months when this production over the rest of the country is at a standstill.
Even with the crusade by industry and local groups to achieve the quality of garden and the progress made in this direction, I have yet to taste the equal of home grown food. Eating a strawberry within an hour of it being alive on the plant is only attainable one way, picking it off the plant yourself. The only way to achieve this quality is to grow your own food. The health and taste of food grown in healthy organic soil is a condition that even organic growers, never mind the commercial industry cannot ever hope to attain.
A home food grower with even the tiniest bit of growing space can, if selectively planted, yield a surprising amount of food. In fact a gardening space of 15×20 will take care of much of the vegetable needs of a family of four. The phrase “selectively” planted means avoiding sprawling plants like vine squashes and melons. It is also unlikely that corn could be accommodated.
Small space consumers like carrots, beets, lettuce, bush beans, onions, turnips, radish, kohlrabi, spinach, and bush summer squash all recommend them to a limited garden space. Square foot and other “intensive” gardening methods help obtain maximum yields. Vertical gardening is another method that can be employed to conserve space.
To gain full use of limited space plant “early” or quickly maturing vegetables like radishes, lettuce, turnips, beets, and the quick yielding bush bean will, after harvesting, permit second plantings of additional veggies for a late fall harvest.
Where did Carrots Come From?
Where do you think carrots originated? We’re not talking about the wild carrots that only a rabbit might consider delectable. We’re talking about the nice thick tuber, (now) orange and full of Vitamin A.
Horseradish
The name “horseradish” is thought to have come from an English adaptation of its German name.
How to Grow Garlic
When you go to the grocery, you’re most apt to find only “generic” garlic. But go to a farmer’s market in the summer and fall, and you’ll likely find at least a few of the dozens of garlic varieties available. Why take a chance on finding some of these when it is incredibly easy to grow your own?
How to Store Root Crops
Have your fall garden of root crops mature as late as possible by planting as late as possible. Cold weather sweetens the roots and you’ll be putting the freshest produce into a cool root cellar, garage or back porch.
Seed Starting Tips for Tomatoes Starting tomatoes from seed is a very rewarding experience. Watching them grow from a tiny seed into a towering plant full of the most delicious taste experience ever is tremendously fun! It may have a few days of hard work involved, depending on how many tomato plants you decide to grow, but still, fun!
How to Choose Tomato Plants Tomatoes are consistently the most popular vegetable in American gardens. But for most gardeners, just any old tomato won’t do. How do you choose tomato plants? Some like them red, some like them yellow, orange or even purple! Fortunately, there are almost 700 different tomato varieties in cultivation today.
Tomato Container Garden Tomato container gardens are an alternative to a traditional tomato garden. Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables of people around the world.
Tomato Pests & Diseases Although tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, there can be problems with a variety of tomato pests and disease. Here are listed the most common and ways to reduce your risk and how to deal with them.
Extend Your Tomato Harvest Extend tomato harvest from your garden and enjoy them longer when you take these simple steps in late summer and early fall. Here are the steps for extending tomato harvest
No Chemical Gardening
Public concern over the use and misuse of pesticides has led increasing numbers of home gardeners to seek means of “natural” pest control. Although some people do not have the time or knowledge to practice all the available alternative methods for controlling pests, there are many cultural practices which will help reduce losses.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life….
— Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease" ~ Thomas Jefferson
