Most people picture home gardens as a grid of pine boxes filling a big open space in a backyard. But in reality, nearly two-thirds of the US population live in urban areas and some have figured out alternatives ways to grow food. Prepping for disaster or lowering your grocery bill, home gardens are an excellent way to increase self sufficiency. So let’s get started…
Planning your space
Whether you’re planning a large outdoor space or a single wall in your garage, the key is to create a solid plan before jumping in. Consider the following when creating the vision:
Have a designated area: Identify the size and shape of your garden area. This can be determined by the space you have or the amount of things you want to plant. It’s crucial though, that you plan your space before buying/making containers and plants. This decision is also inseparably connected to the resources you have at your disposal. Where will you get adequate light? Will it be easy to water? Answer those questions first and your life will be MUCH easier down the road.
Make your containers fit your space: Don’t forget to take full advantage of your space including floors, walls and ceilings. Pots or troughs that you can attach to the wall (like in the picture above) or hang from the ceiling significantly increase planting space.
Think through your materials: There are a lot more options of how to contain your garden than people think. Wood may be obvious, but you can also use concrete, stock tanks or metal tubs or get even more creative with pipes or large jars.
Putting the plan into action
Once the plan is in place, gather materials and build! Go ahead and set up your garden before you necessarily have the plants to put in. Once your garden space is completely set up (soil and all) you’ll make the best decisions when it comes to planting. When you buy plants first, you often end up with the wrong number (excess or shortage) and you may run into issues when finalizing the space causing you to leave plants in temporary pots for too long and potentially lose some.
Make sure your water is in order: One of the easiest ways to guarantee this is by replacing existing watered landscaping with your garden. However, if your garden is in a new place it will be crucial to have a watering system in place before planting. For many, a watering can and daily discipline will do the trick, but if you’re more ambitious or planting a larger area, sprinklers may be the best bet. If you’re interested in doing this yourself, www.diynetwork.com has an excellent walk-through on installing your own sprinklers.
Choose plants that meet your needs, and others that help: Now comes the part that most people think of first: What are you going to plant? With the focus on supplementing or replacing your other food sources, I highly recommend looking for high-calorie and high-quantity foods. When doing your research, make sure to ask yourself:
- What do you like to eat?
- How much food does a single plant produce?
- Does this plant require a lot of water or sunlight?
- Is it known for being especially easy or difficult to grow?
- How easy is it to capture seeds for future planting? (I highly recommend non-hybrid vegetable plants)
For more details on choosing what plants to include, see our “Survival Gardens: What to Plant and Why?”. We walk through lots of varieties with particular recommendations for maximum food source and companion benefits. Companion plants (those that grow next to your primary plants) can also make a big difference in encouraging growth and proper development.
Fertilization and Sustainability
Lastly, you need to make sure that you always plan for success during the next 2 planting seasons. This includes replenishing the nutrients in the soil and harvesting seeds you’ll need for next time.
Replenishing your soil: If you don’t take care of your soil, you’ll be done after just a few planting seasons. The easiest way to keep your soil from becoming depleted is by keeping it rich while your garden is growing. Control for weeds that take nutrients away from the plants you want to grow. Also, use manure or compost will significantly help by adding back some of the nutrients as you go. We’ve recently started composting (detailed post coming soon) as a way to re-purpose food scraps and paper recyclables into soil for our garden. If you have a much larger space, you can consider planting cover crops like soybeans or white clover. These, you plant in the fall and work into the soil a couple of weeks before planting again in the spring.
Harvesting Seeds: As mentioned above, starting with non-hybrid plants will make seed collection much more successful. Seed collection can vary based on the type of plants and should be performed as follows:
- Tomatoes, Squash and Fleshy Vegetables: Scoop seeds out of the ripe vegetable and spread out in a dry and well-ventilated place to let them dry.
- Beans and Peas: Allow some of the crop to stay on the vine until it’s dry and crackly before collecting for storage.
- Fruits: Wait until the fruit is fully formed and meaty before taking out and drying the seeds.
Always make sure to collect seeds from the plants that perform the best and by doing so you will maintain plants in your garden that have adapted the best to your specific soil and climate.
Make your garden a part of your everyday life and reap the benefits!