FOOD :: Growing your own food!

Well, this year I am trying to grow more food than last year... I shared with someone  I hope to grow more food next year.  It's a challenge, but the food is so good when you grow it for yourself there is nothing to compare it with.

This year I bought a tomato plant, some vine peas, a sweet basil plant, some leaf lettuce, and plan to try for a few more things to grow as soon as I can get to a store to buy them.  I want to try one KALE plant, hoping I find the one I like to eat.  I missed getting spinach so I need to find that.

I am also thinking of starting some plants that take a long time to start producing.  In containers.  All my garden plants are in containers this year.

I have always wanted to have a rhubarb plant because I remember my grandmothers farm garden and how great it was to grab a stalk and eat it dipped in sugar.  Now I want to make other things with rhubarb, but the memory is precious.

Starting some asparagus is also a desire. If I can find it, and can afford it, I will try to get one container going with asparagus this summer.  I saved some of the seeds from my son's patch as it was getting started, but I will save those for now.  I think you have to buy the root stock and plant it.  It takes several years to be able to harvest it for eating.

The other plant I want to start this year, if I can, is blueberries.  I think I can only grow one plant in a container, but I will check on that.  I have to find the right containers... something that will be easy to replant when I get to a permanent space.

Raspberries might be a thought, too.

I have two avocado trees in one container right now... very small still.  I decided to start to twist them together as they grow, adding a third small tree I have growing in the house later on.  I guess you need to have at least two trees to pollinate.  I need to check on that, but three trees growing together should do some good.

Local critters have eaten my harvests before, so this year I am working on ways to stop them.  I cut apart one of my old tomato cages and used the large part for protecting the strawberries... the smaller bottom part is over the baby tomato plant right now... it will need to be changed into something larger soon.  I have some bamboo poles to use for a better barrier. 

I am learning about garden cloth so I need to find some and try it out.  Otherwise, I will try to recycle some old potato sacks (like netting) to put over my containers.

I found some of my unused plastic baskets the other day and one fit over my lettuce container.  I hope it helps until I get something better.  Lettuce doesn't need full sun so the filtered light may help it grow.  I'll be working on finding something that has a barrier against squirrels and birds, but lets the sun through and is easy to remove for harvesting.  It is suppose to take a month to be big enough to eat.

Some of my bamboo poles are really tall.  I want to use them to make vine teepees for another year.  Peas, beans, and other foods grow on vines you can train to different kinds of supports.  It will be a yearly experiment.  :-)

I will try to remember to share the results with you.  I am getting better at planning and recording, but I am not all the way there yet.  Video posting is not too far away.  :-)   I am looking into phone editing apps.

I am tech challenged, but trying to learn!!! haha

I hope you are growing your own food this summer... it is so wonderful when you get to harvest it and eat it.  You will be amazed at the difference from store options, and never want to give up the practice.

In Christ,

Deb Martin