[INFOGRAPHIC] Plant like a professional with this vegetable growing cheatsheet Growing your own food instills a true sense of the value of food, and it's not difficult! Did you know? By turning your garden bed into a mini-farm and growing your own food, you could save massive amounts of pollution embedded in the production of food from harming our beautiful Earth. Now, just imagine if 1 million people did this, or more. That would really change the system, and help restore the health of the planet too, because less carbon pollution in the atmosphere is a way to combat climate change. Why grow your own? Growing your own food instills a true sense of the value of food, and it's not difficult. This brilliant infographic gives some great tips on growing vegetables and companion planting. You can make you own personalised infographic based on where you live here. Thanks to anglianhome.co.uk for this graphic. READ THIS NEXT: [INFOGRAPHIC] Top 10 Native Australian Foods You Need In Your Kitchen We're building a movement of women fighting climate change through the way we live.
Cool-Season Vegetables Arugula grows quickly and flourishes in cool weather. Rob D. Brodman Click to Enlarge Grow your own greens Make healthy meals easy with garden-fresh arugula, chard, lettuce, and more. The perfect raised bed A nice, big planting box is just the thing for summer veggies, herbs, and flowers. Cool-season veggies grow best at temperatures averaging 15° cooler than those needed by warm season types. Many have edible leaves or roots (lettuce, spinach, carrots, and radishes); others (artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower) are grown for their immature flowers. Most can endure short periods of frost. For best results, you need to grow them to maturity in cool weather; otherwise, they can turn bitter tasting, or bolt to seed rather than producing edible parts. In warm regions, plant cool season crops from late summer to early fall for harvest in late fall, winter, or early spring. More: Warm-season-crops
Learn these 4 Types of Succession Planting. If, for instance, your growing season is short you may choose quicker growing vegetables such as radishes, salad greens and spinach, or species that can handle a light frost, such as arugula, so you can still harvest edible produce even when the temperature drops. Consider also, that some vegetables, such as carrots, beets, peas and beans can be harvested before they are fully mature. These ‘baby vegetables’ are ideal for succession planting, and have a deliciously different taste from their mature contemporaries. As a general rule, whatever your local conditions, you are looking for varieties that grow reasonably quickly and mature to a harvestable crop fast. Different Crops in SuccessionThe first method involves planting an area with one crop then following it with a crop of a different species that will be suited to the changed conditions later in the growing season. Same Crop in SuccessionThis takes the same timing principle and applies it to a single crop.
Warm-Season Crops Vegetables are classed as either warm- or cool-season, depending on the weather they need for best growth. Warm-season veggies require both warm soil and high temperatures (with a little cooling at night) to grow steadily and produce crops. They include traditional summer crops such as snap beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and squash. “Winter” squashes such as acorn, hubbard, and banana are actually warm season crops: the name refers not to the planting season, but to the fact that they can be stored for winter consumption. For almost all of these vegetables, the fruit (rather than the roots or leaves), is the edible part. Some warm-season crops: Biennial and perennial cropsThese crops don’t fall neatly into a cool or warm season category. Artichoke (perennial in Sunset climate zones 8,9,14-24; annual in zones 11-13) ―Plant in fall for spring harvest Asparagus ― Plant seedlings or roots in fall or winter; early spring in cold-winter areas. More: Cool-season-crops
Gardening for Food Production Once you have discovered your Gardening Style you can begin to plan for the season ahead. I personally use a mixture of vertical gardening, container gardening and raised beds, but I’ve also planted a traditional garden, in long rows, when I have the space. Vegetable gardening for food production and self sufficiency is what it’s all about. Not only will you be able to eat fresh, delicious food straight from the garden, but you will be learning a valuable skill for the future. Seed Starting Tips – You can certainly grow your own plants from seed at home. Some types of seed are easier to grow than others. Download the Seed starting worksheet to see when you should be planting and setting out some popular vegetables and herbs See this publication from Purdue University about Starting Seeds Indoors to get started until you gain some experience. Proof Your Old Seeds – Test Seeds for Viability Make Mini-Greenhouses from Milk Jugs 7 Ways to Make Homemade Seed Starter Pots Grow Microgreens
Building A Cold Frame The month of October was swallowed whole by family matters. First my father-in-law passed away and then seventeen days later my mother-in-law slipped quietly away in her sleep. They were always good to me... to us all and I find myself tearing up just typing these words. For me, one of the ways grief expressed itself was a terrible tiredness that made me want to avoid anything routine; including the computer, the internet and blogging. Slowly, slowly I am slipping back into the comfort of old familiar habits. Wow! The big Maple at the back of the garden always seems to be fall's swan song. Then there is frost and the Maple leaves fall like rain. Last week hubby took some time off and we busied ourselves with completing a number of ongoing projects including this cold frame. I first became interested in cold frames a couple of years ago. Niki Jabbour, The Year Round Veggie Gardener Needless to say, when her book The Year Round Vegetable Gardener was published, I bought a copy.
How Much To Plant To Provide A Year’s Worth Of Food – REALfarmacy.com by BRENDA Not long ago, people had to think about how much to grow for the year. They had to plan ahead, save seeds, plant enough for their family, preserve enough, etc. I loved Joel Salatin’s talk @ The Healthy Life Summit. “Everybody is a part of agriculture whether you want to be or not.” We’re all a part of agriculture. With that in mind, recently, I have been curious about exactly how much my family eats in a year. Sunset’s Vegetable Garden Book (from 1944) The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food Want to know how much to plant per person? Artichokes1-4 plants per person Asparagus10-12 plants per person Beans, Bush10-20 plants per person Beans, Lima10-20 plants per person Beans, Pole10-20 plants per person Beets10-20 plants per person Broccoli5-10 plants per person Brussels Sprouts2-8 plants per person Cabbage3-10 plants per person Carrots10-40 plants per person Cauliflower3-5 plants per person Celeriac1-5 plants per person Celery3-8 plants per person Corn12-40 plants per person Share:
Eating Your Own Vegetables Year-Round You can have your own fresh vegetables year round without a greenhouse by planting an early spring garden, planting a fall garden, overwintering hardy vegetables, using you garden for in-ground storage, and growing vegetables that can be stored for long periods. In the early spring garden, by use of protective plastic covers, heat absorbing mulches and heat trapping devices you can speed growth of many early planted vegetables so that you can begin harvesting in May. By planting a fall garden using cold tolerant varieties you can have fresh vegetables up to the time of a hard freeze. Broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbages often can all last well into the winter. Of course, there are many vegetables that can kept for months if they are properly cured and stored at the proper temperature and humidity. There are also some vegetables that are normally not thought of as being long lived, but with selection of storage type varieties can also be kept for many weeks. Submitted by KP, WA
How Much To Plant To Provide A Year’s Worth Of Food by BRENDA Not long ago, people had to think about how much to grow for the year. They had to plan ahead, save seeds, plant enough for their family, preserve enough, etc. It wasn’t just a hobby. It didn’t take up a 4 foot by 4 foot square in their backyard, next to the beautifully fertilized lawn. I loved Joel Salatin’s talk @ The Healthy Life Summit. “Everybody is a part of agriculture whether you want to be or not.” We’re all a part of agriculture. With that in mind, recently, I have been curious about exactly how much my family eats in a year. Sunset’s Vegetable Garden Book (from 1944) The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food Want to know how much to plant per person? Artichokes1-4 plants per person Asparagus10-12 plants per person Beans, Bush10-20 plants per person Beans, Lima10-20 plants per person Beans, Pole10-20 plants per person Beets10-20 plants per person Broccoli5-10 plants per person Brussels Sprouts2-8 plants per person Cabbage3-10 plants per person Celery3-8 plants per person
How To Extend Your Growing Season By using season extending techniques, you can harvest vegetables earlier and later in the season than would normally be possible. The three main goals of any season extending strategies should be; 1) protecting plants from cold temperatures and freezes, 2) protecting plants from drying winds, and 3) creating favorable temperature conditions around the plant for growth. In addition, attention should be paid in selecting varieties that are the most cold tolerant for early and late crops. To protect plants and increase temperatures around the plant, heat trapping materials and devices are used. Water is the most useful tool for absorbing heat and releasing it later - moist soils and water filled containers are potential heat sinks. Another interesting old fashioned season extending method is to make use of the heat that is given off by microorganisms when organic matter is being decomposed (like the center of your compost pile). Wind protection is also key in extending the season.
Creating a Drought-Tolerant Garden: 6 Tips Think you can’t grow a garden because you live in an area prone to drought? Think again. Gardens are possible anywhere if you employ some water-savvy tips and plant the right varieties of plants. Obviously, an huge, lush and green lawn may out of the question, but you can still grow edible and ornamental gardens in arid regions. Watering can via Ramon Gonzalez 1. I can’t stress enough how fundamental well-amended soil is to a happy garden that will be able to tolerate drought. 2. No matter how much effort goes into amending and improving your soil structure, water will escape early if you don’t mulch. 3. I know weeding is a tedious and laborious experience, but it is very important. 4. Expansive garden beds may not be an option for you if you live in a drought-prone region. Want something a little bigger than a raised bed and containers? Watering the garden via Ramon Gonzalez 5. Learn how to avoid overwatering plants so that you don’t waste time and resources. 6.
How To Turn Your Backyard into a Four-Season Farm According to Jack Algiere, the Vegetable Farm Manager at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, turning your garden into a four-season farm is easier than you think. Below, he outlines his plan for eating from your backyard year-round. Each bed is designed in a block and each year the crops are rotated to the next block. Plants should be planted in botanical families so families can live together in the same block of the garden bed. Most importantly: plant what you like to eat. Spring, Year One The key to spring planting is timing: Plant peas, radishes and spinach in March for eating in June. Fall, Year One Fall plantings can make it all winter if you protect them from the wind and frost. Plus: How to Store Root Crops for Winter Spring, Year Two Repeat the previous year, but move everything over one bed and use what you learned in the last 12 months. Fall, Year Two You should have the hang of it by now and can get creative. Plus: Canning 101: How to Preserve Your Veggies