Grow Your Own Food

Best garden orientation for the sun Some plants like a warm place and enjoy sitting in the sun all day, while others prefer cool shade. The direction in which your garden faces affects the amount of sun and shade it receives. Consider this when choosing your plants to ensure they will thrive in the conditions you have to offer. For better results, check your plot first. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind. Patterns of sun and shade change throughout the day, and a garden in full sun at midday may have dark pools of shade by late afternoon, so spend some time watching your garden on a sunny day and making a note of the way shadows move around the plot. You can then plan what to plant where and identify areas for seating.  Remember, too, that the patterns change depending on the season. To know how much sun the gardening place receives, you should experiment to track the shade. Here is the essential step to track shadows throughout the day are as follows Take a large piece of paper and outline the garden area, making key features such as trees and patios. Use      different colored pen or pencils to mark the area in the shade at the last      three times through the day (e.g., after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) The results will indicate which spaces get the most sun and which get the most shade. Remember, there will be more sun in summer and longer shadow in winter. Simple observation of how much sun your garden receives will give an idea of its orientation. The South-facing gardens receive the most sun and the North-facing gardens the least. The East-facing gardens are sunny but cold in the morning; hardy plants like shade are the right choice. And the west-facing gardens has sun in the afternoon and evening and offers milder growing condition. KEY POINTS To work it out accurately, use a compass. Stand with your back to your house wall – the reading from here shows the direction your garden faces. Those facing south will be in the sun all day and hot, while those pointing north will be in the shade most of the time. East-facing areas offer morning sun and evening shade, while the opposite applies to those facing west. Trees,  hedges, and shrub borders act as buffers. They slow the wind and provide shelter for plants and people. A  sunny spot can be enhanced with a raised bed to improve drainage for tender plants. (Allaway & Leendertz, 2010; DK, 2018; Farrell,  2020) References Allaway, Z., & Leendertz, L. (2010). How  to grow practically everything. DK. DK. (2018). Royal Horticultural  Society :how to garden when you're new to gardening. DK. Farrell, H. (2020). Get growing: A  family guide to gardening indoors and out / Holly Farrell. Frances  Lincoln.

10 STEPS TO GARDEN SUCCESS Here are the basic steps to follow as you create and care for your garden. 1. Choose a site - Where will your garden grow? Picking the spot where your garden will put down its roots depends mostly on where you have space for growth and what you want to grow. Always give your primary preference to sunlight, space, soil conditions, convenience, and access to water when selecting a site for your garden. 2. Prepare the site. Decide whether you will plant in containers, in garden beds, or existing soil. Plan to include composting in your garden to make the soil richer and better. You should provide irrigation and drainage facilities at your irrigated site. Sunlight is another major factor that you should keep in mind while preparing your backyard garden plot. 3. Select seeds and plants. Choose the vegetables and flowers you want to grow and decide if you will grow them from seeds or from purchased plants. When the time is right, plant seeds and seedlings in the site you have prepared for them. Growing a plant from seed is as simple as placing the seed in favorable conditions for growth and letting it do what comes naturally. Some crops grow better from seeds planted right in the spot where they will grow to maturity. Everything else, which may be too much or almost nothing, is cunning. 4. Start seeds indoors. In places where the growing season is short, starting seeds of heat-loving crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors is a way to ensure they have enough time to produce fruits before cold weather returns. But not everyone has the time, space, or interest to provide the conditions needed to start seeds during late winter—that’s why garden centers sell transplants (garden-ready seedlings) of many popular flowers and vegetables. 5.  Using Organic Fertilizers. Try to make your homemade liquid fertilizer; If you search on the Internet, you will find many of them. But if you understand the basic principle of homemade fertilizer, you do not need anyone's help. Food waste (without any oil) or plant waste is stored in buckets or containers for a few months at room-friendly temperature; The liquid coming out of that bucket or container is considered a liquid fertilizer. 6. Care for your plants. Over the course of the growing season, they may need supplemental water and nutrients, help fending off pests or competition from weeds, pruning, trellising, and harvesting. 7. Never use synthetic pesticides because if you are using the same chemicals that big farmers are using to protect their crops, then what does it mean to do organic farming. 8. Extend the season. This is a small reason for protection from the cold because all garden crops need to get a head start on the growing season in spring and pull it in late fall. With careful planning and use of simple season-extension tools, you can have the earliest tomatoes in your neighborhood and enjoy freshly picked salads with a Thanksgiving dinner. 9. Clean up and prepare for winter. As the harvest winds down, gather up the fading plants and add them to compost piles to replenish the soil for next year’s gardens. 10. Be patient and Learn from your mistakes. Start with the easy stuff. Some vegetables and flowers are easier to grow than others. Don’t try to grow oranges in Ohio or tulips in South Texas. Stick with the tried-and-true flowers and produce that thrive in your area, and choose disease-resistant varieties whenever possible. (Martin, 2014) References Martin, D. L.  (2014). Rodale's basic organic  gardening: A beginner's guide to starting a healthy garden. Rodale.

12 Basic Gardening Tips 1. Whether you are new to gardening or new to gardening organically, you probably have an idea of what you hope to achieve in your garden. 2. In your mind’s eye, fix a vision of your gardening goals: abundant vegetables, sun-ripened fruits, colorful flowers, soothing shade. Decide where you want to go. 3. Water, sunlight, and healthy soil are all essential ingredients in a successful garden. Equally important is to begin modestly. 4. If you’re planning your very first garden, go easy on yourself and keep things simple. 5. Better to enjoy modest success in your first gardening season than to overcommit and wind up over whelmed before you’ve picked your first ripe tomato. 6. There are dozens of decisions to make at the outset of a new garden. Keeping even a few notes can help you stay on course when you’re tempted to forego planning and preparation. 7. Be patient. Learn from your mistakes. Take time to stop and smell the flowers 8. Start small but dream big. A large garden can be a lot of work, while a small one allows time for tending crops and getting the feel of the tasks that need to be done. 9. A space that’s 5 × 10 feet can be big enough for a first garden. Even if you’re feeling ambitious, start no more than three or four, 4 × 8-foot beds in your first season. But choose a site that has room for expansion. 10. Grow things you and your family like. 11. Start with the easy stuff. Some vegetables and flowers are easier to grow than others. Don’t try to grow oranges in Ohio or tulips in South Texas. Stick with the tried-and-true flowers and produce that thrive in your area, and choose disease-resistant varieties whenever possible. 12. Good crops for beginners include green beans, cucumbers, and leaf lettuce and easy-growing flowers such as morning glories, nasturtiums, and zinnias. (Martin, 2014) References Martin, D. L.  (2014). Rodale's basic organic  gardening: A beginner's guide to starting a healthy garden. Rodale.

WHY GROW YOUR OWN FOOD? There are a lot of reasons to grow your food. Here are five motivating reasons to grow your food. 1. FRESH AND HEALTHY FOOD 2. GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 3. GREATER CHOICE OF VEGETABLES & FRUITS 4. GOOD EXERCISE FOR HEALTH 5. FUTURE IS ORGANIC GARDENING FRESH AND HEALTHY We are all well aware that the route to good health is through eating more fruits and vegetables, but you may not have considered the direct benefits of growing them yourself. Vitamin and antioxidant levels are at their highest when crops are first picked, with the levels falling by half after a week or so. In shops, you can rarely tell how long ago “fresh” produce was picked or how well it has been stored, especially if it is imported or kept in refrigeration. When you have your own wigwam of runner beans, or a big pot of tomatoes on your patio, you can harvest and eat them within hours, or even minutes. GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Our planet is overheating and, we should concern about the impact of food production on the environment, especially in terms of the “food miles” that build up when we import crops over huge distances. When you grow your own, food miles are reduced to zero, and the carbon footprint is negligible. Fundamentally, the world's population has to feed, and by cultivating whatever space you have, you are making a small step to reduce the stress on global supply. If you wish, you will also be able to choose to grow your food organically. Life revolved around are changing, and there is no better way to discover the seasonal nature of food crops than to grow your own all year round. GREATER CHOICE In shops, you have a limited choice of types of strawberries, broccoli, or carrots, for example, because commercial growers are motivated by yield, shelf-life, and uniformity and grow vast monocultures of just a few varieties. When you grow your own, there are thousands of different crops and combinations to try with qualities suited to your tastes. You may never see 'Yin Yang' French beans or 'Double Red' sweetcorn in the supermarket, but you can grow them yourself. GOOD EXERCISE FOR HEALTH If you feel a bit confined in a gym, gardening provides a great alternative to exercise. One hour's digging can burn off more than 300 calories, and light pottering, weeding, mulching, watering, and planting involves lifting, stretching, and bending. It's the perfect workout. (Chamberlain 2020) THE FUTURE IS ORGANIC GARDENING Organic food is widely available in supermarkets and specialty stores; many governments support organic farming and research. More and more people are turning to organic methods of gardening. Every time there is another food scare or another pesticide’s dangers come to light, more people turn to eat and grow organically. As climate change’s effects become more prominent, and we are encouraged to reduce our “carbon footprint,” organic gardening offers practical ways to do this in the garden. (Garden Organic, DK Publishing, Inc 2008) References Chamberlain, L. (2020). RHS step-by-step veg patch: A foolproof  guide to every stage of growing fruit and veg / Lucy Chamberlain. Dorling Kindersley. Garden Organic (Organization);  DK Publishing, Inc. (2008). Grow  organic (1st American ed.). Dorling Kindersley.

What is a Garden? A Garden is the Plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, or trees are cultivated, but it is not the only definition that can explain a garden. In simple words, a garden is a human-made place in the backyard where he can obtain eatables crops and a peaceful landscape. when someone asks me about the garden, I always remind them of the quote “A garden is a special place linking our way of thinking with the nature of the earth itself.” - ROBERT RODALE “The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.”                                           - GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

Why Garden Organically? Gardeners may choose organic growing techniques for several reasons. Some do so because they believe organic gardens and landscapes are better for their health and the health of their families. Others grow organically because they believe this practice is better for the environment. And some gardeners believe organic gardens are more productive and beautiful. I grow organically for all these reasons and because, when I do so, I become part of the legacy of people who honor the health of the Earth and all its inhabitants by using growing techniques that are safe and sustainable over the long term. Organic   Growing for Your Health Probably the main reason why many people garden organically is to provide their families with safe, wholesome food and a toxin-free environment. Many gardeners believe that organically grown foods taste better, and recent studies show that organically grown foods may have higher nutrient levels than their conventionally grown counterparts. Organic growers also steer clear of genetically modified plants, the health risks of which are still unclear. Alternative   to synthetic pesticides When it comes to health and safety, pesticides pose the greatest concern in gardening.   Americans use about 4.5 billion pounds of pesticides each year in yards,   gardens, homes, farms, and industry, about 1 billion pounds of which are synthetic pesticides. Despite a complex system of rules, regulations, and labeling requirements, thousands of people suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year.   Like most gardeners, organic growers may occasionally need to use pesticides,   but they choose them carefully, opting for the least-toxic organic sprays as a last resort — only after other control measures have failed. Many people assume that organic means nontoxic, but that’s not really correct. Some commonly accepted organic pesticides are, strictly speaking, more toxic than some synthetic chemical pesticides. But in general, organic pesticides, which are derived from plant, animal, and mineral sources, tend to be less toxic than synthetic chemical pesticides, which are created from petroleum and other chemical sources. More important, organic pesticides tend to break down quickly into benign substances, whereas synthetic pesticides can linger in the environment for decades. References Whitman, A., &  DeJohn, S. (2009). Organic gardening for dummies (2nd ed.). Wiley.