Six Easy Steps (March 2008)
Spring is in the air and it is time to begin your garden plans and preparations for the upcoming season. This month our Six Easy Steps will provide gardening inspirations! Hopefully, if you do not garden, you will consider starting one this year. Gardening is a fantastic way to become involved by making a difference for your family and the planet. Gardening will reduce your carbon emissions and provide your family with healthy, homegrown foods free of pesticides and hormones.
1. Reduce your footprint by planting a garden!
Reducing your carbon emissions and your impact on the planet may be as simple as planting a garden. Yes, that’s right! One of the easiest ways to reduce your emissions is to grow your own food. Stop and think about how far your food must travel before it reaches your grocery store. Those grapes you are eating have travelled from Chile, the strawberries are from Mexico or Florida. Not only have many gallons of gasoline gone into the transport of those goods, but they are most likely full of pesticides and other chemicals to enhance their appearance and shelf-life. This is one simple thing that you and your family can do to reduce your dependancy on oil, reduce your footprint, and eat healthier.
2. No green thumb? Start a container garden or herb garden.
Not all of us are cut out for gardening. While it is a very relaxing and rewarding activity, some would not agree. Perhaps you live in an apartment or townhome and if this is the case, you probably do not have access to lawn space for growing your own food. Rochester does have community garden space available, but this can be challenging for some. If gardening is not really your thing, consider starting small this year. Tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and herbs are only a handful of things that work well in containers or larger pots. This would be a great alternative to digging up your yard if you have never gardened before and prefer to start small. Reaching out the back door to pluck a ripe grape tomato for your salad you will find to be very rewarding….and delicious! Growing and drying your own herbs for use all winter is equally satisfying. Why not consider one of these easy ways to grow a few things while you develop that green thumb?
3. Start a composting pile.
Composting is very easy and it will save you money by providing nutrient rich material for your garden and flowers. You will no longer have to purchase mulch and therefore, you will save money. Best of all, this is one more way to reduce carbon emissions. By creating your own compost, that’s a few less bags that will have to be transported thousands of miles to your nearest retailer.
Composting can be done in a designated area for yard waste or food scraps. There are pre-made containers that can be purchased or you can find plans on the internet that will show you how to make your own composting bin. Composting may also be done with a “fenced-in” area that will help contain the compost material. I compost all of my yard and garden waste in one area at the end of my garden. This is in turn used all season long as I continuously mulch my garden to control weeds.
4. Start a worm bin.
Another alternative for composting is a worm bin. This has been a popular topic on the footprint Forum page. Worm bins are very easy to make from wood or a plastic storage bin. Easy to follow instructions may be found on the internet or in our feature article this month called “Composting and worm bins”.
I created a worm bin late last summer and it resides in my basement. After several months, I have had a couple batches of “baby worms” and a nice layer of compost on the bottom of the container. This is a great way to compost food scraps and in the process reduce the waste your household generates. It makes perfect sense to compost food scraps and turn them back into something helpful for the gardening process.
5. Fun with Herbs!
Don’t forget to plan plenty of space for fresh herbs. Chives, basil, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, savory winter, and cilantro are just a few of the wonderful herbs that are very easy to grow. These herbs can easily be dried and stored for use in cooking all winter too. If you love tea, mint, chamomile, sweet fennel and lemon balm are great choices. Herbs grow well in window boxes or in pots, so they are great alternatives for those with little space.
6. Plan for storage.
While planning, planting, and growing are fun there is nothing like the harvest to create a sense of accomplishment for all your hard work during the summer. While all this planning is great, don’t forget to think about storage for late summer and fall. Part of the planning process should include estimates of food yields and considerations for storage.
Onions, potatoes, carrots, beets and other root type vegetables will store in a cool, dry place like your basement for most of the winter. Hanging them in mesh bags is recommended if you do not have storage space that is more like a root cellar.
Corn, beans, peas, zucchini, rhubarb are just a few examples of veggies that freeze well. A chest freezer is more energy efficient than upright freezers.
Canning is also a great way to store fruits or veggies for the winter….and it’s easier than you think! A pressure canner is not required if you are canning acidic foods like tomatoes. Jams or jellies can be made from fruits easily grown in your garden like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or rhubarb.