Basic Gardening Moving Toward Food Self-sufficiency

One of the most important details to begin gardening, is choosing a suitable garden spot.   You will learn how to choose a location with plenty of sunshine, good soil, access to water, and some protection from the wind.

You will learn that determining the garden area you want to clear, depends on what you plan to grow, and how much.   And, what’s the purpose of your garden?

Is it just a small garden to grow fresh food for the season, and reduce your grocery bill, or do you want to be fully food-self-sufficient from your garden?

If you have a proposed garden space with a lawn, we will explore several suggestions to prepare the ground.

You will learn about textures such as loam, clay, and sand which define the physical percentage of sand, silt, and clay within a soil composition.  And, you will learn how to change your soil to be the best composition for your garden.

You will explore the benefits and advantages of mulching the surface of your garden.

You will explore composting and discover the benefits of using organic materials to fix soil problems and provide nutrients to your garden.

You will explore how to use an indispensable tool for the garden and a great labor saver, a tiller.

You will find solutions and things to consider on how to water a garden, how much water to give it, and how often to water it.

You will explore and learn about the many options to consider, to deliver water to your garden effectively.

You will explore the watering needs and solutions as you expand to work toward food self-sufficiency.

You will learn about the many sprinkler options, exploring which are good, and which are bad for a particular garden application.

You will learn how drawing a planting map will help you see how many and which seedlings you need, where they will be planted, where seeds will be sown, and how you can keep each bed producing through each growing season.  There are two 10 by 20-foot planting map download Resources. They are for greenhouses but will also work for a 10 by 20-foot garden.

You will plan how much to plant according to the garden space you have.

You will learn about a climate guide for gardeners to understand which plants can survive and thrive based on the area they live in, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

You will learn how to get a jump on the growing season, by using grow lights to get the seedlings growing, after your seeds germinate.

You will learn how to harvest vegetables from your garden efficiently and discover a few key points to keep in mind.

You will learn that immediately after harvesting your produce each day, you will want to bring it indoors.  You will also learn tips on what to do with each type of fruit and vegetable, once you get them inside.

You will learn the general procedure for canning low-acid vegetables and meats that need the high heat that a pressure canner provides.

You will discover that steam juicing is a perfect way to extract concentrated juice from fruit and berries while leaving behind seeds and pulp. It is great for various juice combinations and jam and jelly recipes.

You will learn that when you freeze fruits and vegetables, it’s important to do it at the right time.  And, you will learn the proper freezing techniques for preserving your harvest.

After the season you will want to clean up your garden for the year.  You will learn what to do with the plants that are left, how to gather seeds for next year, what to do with your tools, and how to get your ground ready for spring.