You could literally teach a day class to educate people to do this more..it is not a fad..it's a way of life, a greener and healthier one!
My grandparents used to own a vegetable farm, so I know about fresh vegetables! I still look forward to the asparagus frittata, made from the asparagus picked from outside the front door!
Thanks for all the great information! This is so therapeutic!
I never thought about it but I guess most people don't do this. I used to grow a lot more variety. It is a lot of work to harvest in a short period of time. It grew out of interesting to challenging to just being better to finally at some point a habit. An economical habit. I have the room, why not grow a potato. They are free except for the labour, and it is a labour of love. Apples only cost a few dollars for bone meal and this year not even that. Asparagus just keeps coming up every year. Now that one is work to keep weeded but oh so worth it. Big fat juicy asparagus, not those pencil thin sticks out of the store. Good garlic is ten dollars a pound. I divide and replant my own. It is free and very good. The balance costs me around eighty dollars for seed. Just the cantaloupe can pay for that. Those little herbs you pay five dollars a bottle for here are mostly free. And they are better.
For the person that can do it and has the time It is very relaxing. I've found ways to do most of my weeding sitting down. I just have not found a way to not spill my coffee.
I suppose some one is going to say what about fertilizer. I do buy dolomite lime and bone meal.
Not much though and peat moss. I used to use manure from my cows but don't have them anymore. A clean garden is not a healthy garden. All those weeds growing between the rows get tilled under as green manure. Chickweed breaks down fast and feeds the plants. Peas and beans supply nitrogen on there roots. Rotation spreads it.
I come from an era when everyone grew a garden and competed to grow the biggest and best. I just kept doing it.
I don't think they live here at least not in this village. I know they live in the big city, but I seldom go there. I'm done digging and dividing Dahlias. What a chore, but worth it. Long winters here so I'll have to baby them in the root cellar, they can get a bit dry by spring.
Time for my mini Turkey for one. (cornish hen).
One Plum bush to dig up and move and garlic to plant. If the sun shines I can get the tractor in the garden with the tiller and till it. Yep it is big enough to turn a real tractor in.
I find digging in the dirt peaceful even if I do some with a tractor. It's putting it all away for the next year that gets to be a chore. It could almost get depressing if I didn't enjoy food so much.
Its a dirty job but somebody got to do. I like your positive way of handling the situation.. Relish the body count on those nasty little guys..Kind of like the old commercial..They can run but the can't hide...
Just when I was feeling good about starting to clean the garden(inspired by other members like Red and Davit), I started my day with a disappointing discovery in the kitchen - a dirty bug starting with "c"(I don't want to even use the word).
I was going to roll over and play dead(mom's sick and there's so much to do, and I "normally" feel overwhelmed), but instead called some stores for recommendations after reading about getting rid of them.
So I'm going enjoy measuring the number using glue-filled boxes of unhappy little critters, and then follow with some earth-friendly tonic
It rained all night so I woke up in a bad mood. I have only three projects left that have to be done before it freezes. One I can put off till spring but the other two need to be done.
The sun is out and that lying weather person says it will stay. So I will get a coffee and go see what I can do. The plan is to dig more Dahlias, Nine dug and cleaned, forty some to go. Still sore from yesterday, I ran out of daylight. It is hard work but I do love the flowers.
I have a nice cornish hen for supper for reward even if all I get is an attempt. Attempt at least is better than not.
