"If that is what you think....."

"I can't grow any food in our yard, we have too much shade." If that is what you think, think again. These vegetables only need 4 hours a day of direct light.  28 veggies that grow in partial shade
"I can't grow any veggies or fruit, the deer and birds eat them all."  If that is what you think, then try covering them with recycled 'sheer curtains', easy to find at Thrift Shops.  It worked for me when I covered my bush beans one season. I left the sheers on and only pulled them back to harvest. The rain and sun went through and they gave me an abundant Harvest. The Curtains are easily held down by a rock or handful of straw at the corners which enables pollinators to enter in.  You can use them with hoops or stakes for taller plants as well. This works on any veggie or fruit that can be easily covered .... if you have Chickens, it will deter them from eating your tender seedlings.   Framed in Gardens work well too. 



"I don't like the idea of seeing curtains in my Gardens."  If that is you you think, dye them GREEN, not only will that make them less conspicuous but perhaps it will make it less obvious to other curious wildlife. Plus, you may only need to put them on one or two beds  This year we are planning on taking some of the Bamboo from our Garden (often people are willing to give it away for free), and using them as a well spaced out Fence.  We plan to tie clear fishing line around the stakes, as we were told the deer will feel it and not jump over. Otherwise a TALL or Electrical Fence is needed to keep them out. We will let you know how it works...
     


"We don't have enough land to grow any of our own Food."  If that is what you think, consider the fact that one bed is enough to grow some of your own food. Some Veggies and Herbs like Basil, Lettuce, Tomatoes or Peppers, grow well in Containers (add the inside of a baby diaper to absorb the moisture and keep the soil from drying out quickly). The containers do not need to be many or fancy, and whimsical can be fun. Let yourself be creative.   ***Micro Greens, which grow indoors all year. 




"I can't grow a Garden, I can't use a Tiller.", If that is what you think, try double digging or simply use Straw Bales for your Garden Beds. One bale works too. You can also use them in containers. They will decompose and become compost, which provides rich soil for the next season.  
                             
   

"We can't grow our food because we have too many weeds to deal with each year and we do not want to use chemicals." If that is what you think, try covering the area you want to grow, the previous year and leave it covered with heavy dark plastic or tarp till next Spring; it is called Soil Sterilization. The heat from the sun will kill weed seeds and the grass. IF there are any weeds seed left deep below, please note tilling may bring them to the surface, so if you can, till or double dig before covering, that works best. Also, some Weeds can be beneficial a weed is only a weed if you do not want it in your Garden and there are ways to keep them down, such as mulching with Newspaper and Cardboard covered with straw or leaves.  




"We can't grow a Garden due to Drought and our soil stays dry."  If that is what you think, try covering the area with Newspaper and Straw, (hay has seeds), leaves or other bedding material. Mulching also keeps weed down and the soil cooler.  Once you have a bed established you can just pull the straw back the next year and plant the plant and add additional Straw, as gradually that which is below will decompose and help create healthy soil; which means you will not need to Side Dress your new plantings year after year. 

"We can't grow in our area, the season is too short."  If that is what you think, try using plastic Row Covers, or make Cold Frames, they extend the Season. You simply need to open them up during the day when the weather is still cool out or cold in the evenings, so the heat does not build up during the day and close them again at night.
                         
If you want to know more about 'Winter Gardening', or 'Gardening all Year Long' you may want to begin by checking out this Book: Backyard Winter Gardening  I read Caleb Warnock's Book from the Library a while back, when we were wondering what we might be able to grow in our Greenhouse. 

Caleb Warnock also has a Facebook Page:  Facebook Page Blog  and Website where he sells rare seeds from around the world he has collected, which grow in a variety of Climates. 

He also has some Great Video's on Youtube. This is the first one I watched: Fantastic Winter Gardening Video



Do you have anymore reasons you think might be keeping you from growing some of your own food? Ask us, perhaps I or someone else will have a solution to share.... 

Do you have an obstacle you've overcome?  Please share your thought and solutions with us in a comment below....

NOTE ... the highlighted words above or in my other posts are either Links, Articles or Video's which may help you further. Enjoy!

***Micro Green (How To Article in a previous post on this blog)    
, , , , , , |
This entry was posted on 4:23 PM and is filed under , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Private comments can be sent to: HolySpiritWithin@msn.com
Please add Blog Comment in the Subject line, I will respond to your from that link.