Building A Local Garden- by McKenna
To create access to
local, organic food you need nutritional and physical health. You will also
need to know what and when to plant your garden. If you're a beginner at
gardening you should start with plants that grow in any condition.
First, nutritional and
physical health you need a nutritious food supply to start your garden. “Cool
seasonal vegetables are those that can thrive during the shorter days and
cooler temperatures of spring and fall, in fact, some vegetables such as
Kohlrabi and Kole actually develop better flavor when nipped by frost. Lettuce,
collards, snow peas, cabbage and broccoli are a few examples of cool season
vegetables. Summer favourites like orka, squash and tomato require long, hot
days to grow.
Before you start sowing
seeds and planting it’s important to know what the last frost date is in your
area. This will determine when your spring growing season begins. There
are several online sites where you can find this information using your zip
code or by checking frost dates of near-by cities. These are average dates that
may differ slightly year to year but they give you a basic window of time in
which you can create a planting schedule. Another good source of local,
reliable advice is your area's County Cooperative Extension Service or check
with knowledgeable members of local gardening clubs.” (Smith)
“If you’re a beginner,
consider starting with the 10 crops discussed below. All are easy to grow, and
this combination offers lots of possibilities for cooking. Some of these crops
are best grown by setting out started seedlings, but most are easy to grow from
a packet of seeds.
a.
Radishes. Radishes do well even in not-so-great garden
soil and are ready to harvest in only a few weeks. Plant the seeds in spring
and fall.
b.
Salad
greens (lettuce, spinach,
arugula and corn salad). Pick your favorite, or try a mix — many companies sell
mixed packets for summer and winter gardening. Plant the seeds in spring and
fall, and you can pick salads almost year-round.
c.
Green
beans. Easy to grow and
prolific. If you get a big crop, they freeze well, and they’re also delicious
when pickled as dilly beans. Start with seeds after all danger of frost has
passed.
d.
Onions. Start with small plants, and if they do well,
you can harvest bulb onions. If not, you can always eat the greens.
e.
Strawberries. Perfectly ripe strawberries are unbelievably
sweet, and the plants are surprisingly hardy. Buy bare-root plants in early
spring. Put this perennial in a sunny spot and keep it well weeded.
f.
Peppers. Both hot peppers and bell peppers are easy to
grow. Start with plants and let peppers from the same plant ripen for different
lengths of time to get a range of colors and flavors.
g.
Bush
zucchini. This squash won't take
up as much room in your garden as many other types, and it’s very prolific.
Start from seeds or transplants. You won't need more than a few plants for a
bumper crop.”
h.
“Tomatoes. There’s just no substitute for a perfectly ripe
homegrown tomato, and it’s hard to go wrong when you start with strong plants.
If you get a big crop, consider canning or freezing.
i.
Basil. Many herbs are easy to grow, but basil is a
good choice because it’s a nice complement to tomatoes. Basil is easy to grow
from seeds or from transplants.
j.
Potatoes. An easy-to-grow staple that stores well when
kept cool. A simple and low-maintenance approach is to plant potatoes in straw
rather than soil. ‘Seeds’ are whole or cut sections of potatoes, sold in early
spring” (Phelps)
In conclusion, planting
a local garden can be hard but with patience and a little help, you can get a
full grown garden in no time. with the right plants and the right place your
garden will grow to your satisfaction. Just give it some time and it will be
blooming in great amounts.
Resources
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