Sustainable Gardening Styles

As food cost increases and money is in short supply, everyone is looking for a better way to provide for their families and themselves. Growing a garden is a great way to cut cost and there are a number of option for every part of the country and every living condition. Even if you provide only a small amount of food, it helps save money and create a more sustainable world. It is easy to do and just about anyone can provide a little toward helping themselves and their neighbors.

The population is increasing in mass and land is decreasing for food production. The answer to the problem is to grow what you can on what you have available. Everything from farms, small acreage, yards, patios, balconies, window sills and one window with no sill can provide food. It is just knowing how to get started and learning a little about how to grow.

Starting with the largest piece of land for a family is the farm. With a farm you can create a sustainable lifestyle that requires almost no outside help from grocery stores. A farm can provide a large garden area, small orchard, cows for milk and beef, and chickens for eggs and meat. A small piece of land can grow enough grain for cows, chickens, and humans by careful planning. With careful planning you can support yourself with all the food you need for a family of four or more on a small farm.

Next is the one acre piece of land. This will depend on where you live and if there are restrictions. Most communities allow gardens so that is not a big concern. But always check if you are considering raising chickens for eggs and meat. On a one acre piece of land, you can grow a large enough garden to provide for your family for the coming year. Always grow what you eat. If you do not like tomatoes, then do not grow them unless you are growing to use them for income or to give away. Plant vegetables, fruit, melons, a small orchard, and herbs. With this much land it can produce a small profit during the season in order to support the seeds and needs for the next year.

A good yard offers a lot of space if used efficiently. Square foot gardening will use the space available to its best advantage and you can grow an abundance of food. Plan your planting times so you can harvest for at least four to six weeks continuously. Plant foods you are going to use the most of like green beans, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, squash, all salad greens, and anything you like or will preserve for the coming winter.

For the homeowner with a patio who wants to have a container garden, you can make use of limited space and make it a logical landscape design. Choose large, colorful pots to match the décor you want for your patio area. Growing salad greens, spinach, small squash, and other small vegetables will add natural beauty and bounty for your home. It is all edible and makes a beautiful container garden when you entertain guest.

If you live in an apartment with a balcony as your only site for growing a garden then you will love what is available. With one long wooden planter hanging on one of the patio rails you can plant all the salad mix you need, plus green onion and a few herbs. In another corner use a planting container with the right stakes and twine to grow some wonderful climbing cherry tomatoes. Good anytime of the year, they will go great with your salad or you can use them in other recipes of your choice. Next use a couple of containers to grow strawberries. Lots and lots of strawberries. Great right from the vine or on strawberries short cake. Both the cherry tomatoes and strawberries are great barter items in a big city when city dweller would do anything for the fresh taste of good produce right from the vine.

If none of these options are available to you, you can use your window to grow herbs, small greens and onions, or for window farming. Use small pots to grow a variety of herbs for cooking or for tea. Choose the ones that you love the flavor of or offer the best health benefits. Grow small salad greens for soups and stews or eat them right off of the plant. If you want to try window farming, look up your favorite site and you will find that window farming is growing food with hydroponics. There is no dirt involved. The food is grown in water only and the containers can be made from plastic bottles. It is a great way to recycle soda bottles into a sustainable window garden. You can grow salad greens and even green beans year round with this method. It is also a beautiful way to decorate a window anywhere you live.

With so many options available, there is no reason to buy produce you can grow. It is fun, it is satisfying to the soul, and it lets you have food when times are getting harder. Make a decision to grow at least one small item this summer.