Ambitious and foolhardy folks that we are, Micah and I are planning a fairly large garden this year. We just never do one thing at a time, and we don't pick easy projects.
Yes, we're a litte nuts...but that's why you love us, right?
...right?
So, here are some more resources, this time for the garden.
Seeds of Change : A site where you can order organic seeds for flowers and veggies. Many items are on backorder but should be in within 2-4 weeks (I just spoke with the gal at customer service this morning).
Johnny's Selected Seeds : I got a load of tips from their catalog (the above has tips online). You can select from organic seeds or not, with details about what diseases the plants are prone to.
Seed Savers Exchange : Another great resource for organic seeds.
Burpee : A little more user friendly, you can select plants by zone (we're in zone 8 or 7, depending on the map) and color (for flowers) in annual (use once) or perennial (comes back year after year) varieties.
You can also go to Bell's Seed Store downtown or Click's Nursery for supplies and advice. Click's offers fantastic customer service and everyone there has been super patient with all of my questions (I'm such a rookie).
You can get compost to improve your soil (we live on a sand pit) at Circle M Farms here in Hope Mills. It's free if you load it yourself, otherwise there's a $10 charge. Just call to let them know when you'll be coming. They're open from 7:30 to 4:30 every day, and be sure to pick a dry day. Right now they're bogged down due to the recent rain and the heaps are soaking wet which will increase your chances of getting stuck in your truck. (The lady I spoke with said it should be good to go by this Saturday.) Their number is 910-423-3867. Call for directions and a time.
Our gardening "bibles"...
Four Season Harvest : Great tips to provide fresh vegetables all year long. We'll give it a shot next year since we've got so much going on this year.
Square Foot Gardening : For getting the most out of a small plot. We once used old bathroom trash bins for growing cherry tomatoes. Maybe if we'd discovered this sooner it would have prevented our ghetto garden. Don't ask what we were thinking...or our neighbors at the time.
Organic Pest and Disease Control : This will be a lifesaver for us and our poor plants.
NC Farm Fresh : Here's where you can find the pick-your-own farms/patches in the area.
Happy planting!
PS Clue me in on anything you've found helpful also. I'm a little nervous about selecting and maintaining plants I intend to use as a food source for my family this year ... but that's totally not stopping me from buying eggplant. ;)
2 comments:
Thanks again for doing all the leg work. I have always wanted good advice on a good gardening book. I am going to look for the 4 Seasons of Harvest at the books store.
As for your "ghetto garden" I just a infomercial selling upside down tomato plants, I don't think you can refer to it as ghetto if there is a whole informercial for it. Well maybe that doesn't count for all things, but for yours I think you'd call it "do-it-yourself"
Thanks Lindsey. Matt and I are starting our first garden here in NC and hopefully it will go well. Doing all the research is the worst so thanks for all the great sites!
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