Times are weird, just weird. As we adjust to the new normal, many folks are concerned about their food supply and wanting to start a garden. Along with this desire, is trepidation for many about going out to stores.
Building awesome living soil in a raised veggie bed
I’ve had several clients and new students ask about garden soil. It seems many folks that have tried to garden have wanted to quit because their garden didn’t do well. Most times it turns out it was their soil that was at issue.
Soil is the foundation of our garden and can grow our plants for us. I have put together a 5 Day Free email course on soil, so you can transform your understanding of good garden soil, to begin to transform your garden.
For Step 1: it is important to take time to document your garden vision, what goals you have, and your garden as you have dreamed it. Many folks don’t take the time to document this, so their dream garden becomes a vaporous ‘some day’ vague memory, vs actualizing the manifestation of their dream.
Step 2: Observation & Assessment
To avoid making a mistake on the type, size and location of the garden you put in, take some time to observe your space, light, water and other resources as well as your time. This way you can be sure the garden you put in not only is in the best place, but also fits into your lifestyle, and that is where Step 2, Observation & Assessment comes in. This is a critical step to be sure you get a garden that will work for you, and hence move you along that success pathway.
Step 3: Building Healthy Living Soil
Building awesome living soil in a raised veggie bed
Healthy living soil is the foundation of any garden, so building soil that will support your garden and grow plants for you is Step 3. You probably know that chemical pesticides and fertilizers kill your soil, but did you know that tilling does too? Tilling allows the carbon in your soil to be released into the atmosphere thereby depleting your soil of it. This is why commercial conventional growers add fertilizers, because they have, by their actions, depleted it from their soil. The soil becomes nothing more than an anchor for the plants, but it is the life in the soil, that grows healthy lively plants.
Step 4: Choosing Quality Plants & Seeds
Get chemical-free plants
Step 4 is choosing quality plants and seeds for your garden. Learn clues for buying plants, such as purchasing those with a USDA Organic tag or from small local growers you know are chemical free. Checking in on seed companies to be sure they have signed the Safe Seed Pledge, thereby committing to only offering non-GMO seeds, and belonging to organizations committed to organic growing and sustainable biodiverse practices.
Step 5: Garden Layout & Planting
Organic veggie & flower garden
Then, in the last step, it is time to layout where plants will go in our gardens and do our seeding and transplanting. Once you have done the other four steps, you can be confident that the garden you have built is the right one for you so those young plants and seedlings have the best chance of providing you the yummy home grown produce you desire.
There are several reasons for our participation in this local annual event:
First off, we are passionate about spreading the word of growing your own food. Gardening is a great way to get outside, off our computers for a few, and get back to our roots – sometimes literally – in the case of carrots and radishes. Grow Your Health is a great venue to talk gardens and empower people to garden.
The festival is also about local food. This local festival gets community members together with local farms and healthy food providers in a fun environment. Connecting folks with our local farmers and practitioners enriches our local economy. It also allows each to expand their community support system. Families supporting family farms was part of how this country was built and these relationship nurture the heart of everyone involved.
The third focus of the festival is wellness, not only of our bodies through various support systems, but also the wellness of the planet that supports us all. The movie we are showing this year, GMO OMG talks primarily about the potential effects of genetically modified organisms in our food, but the business of growing these has major impacts on the wellness of planet earth.
Helping the next generations learn about healthy practices for themselves and their planet, how to connect with the planet through gardening and knowing where their food comes from is part of the family value this festival can provide. Each year we strive to make the event better for families to attend, more fun for children and provide everyone who attends an enriching community event.
Come out and join us, Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am – 5:30 pm.
Stop by the Prior Unity Garden Booth and sign up for the raffle to win some prizes.
As part of the class lineup, Russell will be part of a Gardening Q&A at 11:00 am and Debby will be teaching Small Space Gardening at 1:30 pm.
We’ll also have spring plants and other cool stuff.
One of the reasons to grow your own food is because home grown organic food is good for your health. We don’t really know what genetically modified food will do to us over the long term, but for those who don’t want to chance it, home grown food can help.
This year and last year we were compelled to sponsor Grow Your Health, Gardening, Food & Wellness Festival because it is a great place for our community to learn about how gardening links with yummy food and good health. All good things, right ? You bet !
This year at Grow Your Health, we will have a raffle at our table for winning prizes. In addition we will have our new product line that includes our Seed Starting Kit, Laminated Companion Planted Garden Designs and Debby’s new booklet on seed starting and seed buying. We will also have plants ! Yes, yummy spring greens plants to put in your garden.
Come by the Prior Unity Garden Booth at the Grow Your Health Festival and say hi !Debby Ward developed the Prior Unity Garden Seed Starting Kit as a seed starting system to insure your success growing plants from seed.
Debby & Russell will each offer a class. Debby will talk about Growing Food in a Small Space, covering useful tid bits for containers, townhouses and small space gardening on a larger property. Russell will talk about how a good garden design, including permaculture design principles allows for productive use of your space so you really get what you want from it.
But we are only part of Grow Your Health, last year we had over 450 visitors and we expect more this year.
The event, which is Sunday March 23rd, from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm at Woodson High School, will have at least 21 classes and demos, many local vendors who provide services and products to help you not only grow food, but find local health foods, and improve your health and well being in several ways. The food court will have local food vendors providing meals for most all diets (think vegetarian, meat lovers and raw foodies) along with food artisans of various kinds.
They even have stuff for kids !
For a crazy reasonable price in advanceof $10 for adults and free for children under 16, this event is really a fun day of learning, good food and making new friends, along with the old ones you bring along to share the experience.
Stop by the Prior Unity Garden booth, say hi.. and maybe win something too !
Stop by and get your spring greens plants. We will have kales, chard, lettuce and more.
Prior Unity Garden Blog 