http://www.self-reliants.com/seedlings-are-in-the-dirt Living and learning on the land Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:40:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 http://www.self-reliants.com/seedlings-are-in-the-dirt/comment-page-1#comment-149 Annalea Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:59:00 +0000 http://www.self-reliants.com/seedlings-are-in-the-dirt#comment-149 I just made a post over at my blog about my three favorite gardening books, which I highly recommend.Gardening can be as simple or complex as you make it--the trick is in making a home for your plants that is as close to their natural habitat as possible. (Which means, if you want tomatoes, you'll need to have some type of greenhouse, as a north-eastern slope in your neck of the woods is nearly as far from Mexico as you can get . . . )One last caution: don't work in the wood shavings unless they're well-composted. Some types of wood release high concentrations of something-or-others that can severely stunt or kill garden plants. (Yes, that's a technical term. ;o) Once it's broken down, there's no problem. It's in the breaking down that trouble starts.If you want a garden that will really take off, you need a three-bin composting setup, as really good compost takes about three years. You can have it hauled in and work it into your existing soil, or you can fill your beds entirely with new topsoil and compost. Which, if you really want to be able to supplement your diet in a meaningful way, would be your best option. Plants are only, with few exceptions such as alfalfa and mullein, as good as the soil they're grown in. You can find loads of really good info at www.GardenWeb.com -- they have forums on Northern Gardening, extending the season, starting seeds indoors, winter sowing (planting seeds outside in winter to come up in Spring), and tons more. There are state-specific forums, and there used to be a Rocky Mountain Gardening forum. Tons of great info, and lots of activity.Best of luck, and I'm really enjoying reading!(Reposted to remove references to where you live. A thousand pardons . . . it's late, and I've got mother fog something fierce.) I just made a post over at my blog about my three favorite gardening books, which I highly recommend.Gardening can be as simple or complex as you make it–the trick is in making a home for your plants that is as close to their natural habitat as possible. (Which means, if you want tomatoes, you’ll need to have some type of greenhouse, as a north-eastern slope in your neck of the woods is nearly as far from Mexico as you can get . . . )One last caution: don’t work in the wood shavings unless they’re well-composted. Some types of wood release high concentrations of something-or-others that can severely stunt or kill garden plants. (Yes, that’s a technical term. ;o) Once it’s broken down, there’s no problem. It’s in the breaking down that trouble starts.If you want a garden that will really take off, you need a three-bin composting setup, as really good compost takes about three years. You can have it hauled in and work it into your existing soil, or you can fill your beds entirely with new topsoil and compost. Which, if you really want to be able to supplement your diet in a meaningful way, would be your best option. Plants are only, with few exceptions such as alfalfa and mullein, as good as the soil they’re grown in. You can find loads of really good info at http://www.GardenWeb.com — they have forums on Northern Gardening, extending the season, starting seeds indoors, winter sowing (planting seeds outside in winter to come up in Spring), and tons more. There are state-specific forums, and there used to be a Rocky Mountain Gardening forum. Tons of great info, and lots of activity.Best of luck, and I’m really enjoying reading!(Reposted to remove references to where you live. A thousand pardons . . . it’s late, and I’ve got mother fog something fierce.)

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