Garden Plans for 2009 Growing Year

Have you thought about your garden for next year? Really thought about it? If the prices of produce and staples continue to rise, do you want to offset your grocery bill by growing most of your food? Here's some questions to answer:

1. How much space do you have? (indoor windowsills, corner of room for grow-lights, backyard, community garden, farm, etc.)
2. What about for permanent plants, like berry bushes, fruit and nut trees, and asparagus or rhubarb?
3. How much time do you have? (you work full time, spouse does too, kids have lots of activities & summer camps, etc.)
4. How much energy do you have? (you're disabled or can't bend or kneel, you have an exhausting job, your kids and spouse doesn't help, you're sick, etc.)
5. Look at your last several grocery lists. What is on there that you can grow?
6. Do you want to grow a little of everything you eat, or lots of one or two things?
7. Can you look at the PLETHORA of seeds available and limit your purchases to one or two of each vegetable?
8. Do you have the resources to preserve the produce, like dehydrating, freezing or canning?
9. Is it worth it? Factor in containers, potting soil, tools like garden spade, seeds, dehydrator, water, etc.

Now's the time to give these things a thought. We just received three gardening catalogs in the mail today: Totally Tomatoes, Vermont Bean Seed Company, and Kitazawa Seed Co. Already, our minds are spinning as we make our lists and decide how on earth to limit, for example, our tomatoes to one outdoor (probably Amish Paste) and three indoor. What about you?

This blog will discuss the different kinds of fruits and vegetables, composting, companion planting, indoor, outdoor, composting, and more. We hope that we can help you make your decisions and guide you through this exciting period. Feel free to ask questions!