It is not so easy to just grow a garden and end all trips to the grocery store. I have been studying many ways to get food to my table. It is difficult to find the "best way" to garden but there are a few ideas that are helpful.The main thing I've found to get things to grow is water. Once your seeds begin to sprout, and don't get eaten by bugs, you must make sure that they have enough nutrition to continue strong growth. Then you must continue to add enough water and nutrition to make sure that your garden can flourish. It sounds really simple but it is a little more complex than one may first think.
There are some folks who seem to have some sort of natural talent for gardening. I am not one of them. It seems like every problem I solve in the garden allows 2 or 3 new ones to surface. All the gardening gurus have a solution and they are so sure of it, except when I try it, there is no success. I know that gardening should not break the bank and it should happen with only a small amount of maintenance, right? I am at the point now where I need to try something new, again.
My plants grow but they don't have the vigor and glow that I am striving for. My tomatoes don't produce an abundance of ripe, juicy and sweet fruits I expected. My strawberries are constantly eaten by pests. Many of my brassicas never make it past the surface before being annihilated by bugs. Then there's the rabbits and squirrels. It is a never ending battle. No wonder it is so easy for the chemical companies to keep selling their products. It is way easier to spray some magic formula on my garden to make the bugs go away and the other vermin and get my plants to grow huge than it is to feed the soil properly to get it healthy and running at optimum.
There are as many soil recipes as gardeners, it seems. I am still not sure if I should add lime or not. Is peat moss really endangered? How can I get my soil to grow tomatoes without needing to keep adding fertilizer throughout the growing cycle? Is there a balanced compost for all plants and all applications? Where does bat guano come from?
There are answers on the internet for all of these questions but there are too many answers. There are too many different situations to consider when first starting and then maintaining a garden. Your best gardening method should be different than mine. You live in a different place than I do. Your micro climates are different around your own yard. The way you choose to be your best gardening method needs to include a way to measure your success and track your improvements.
My plants grow but they don't have the vigor and glow that I am striving for. My tomatoes don't produce an abundance of ripe, juicy and sweet fruits I expected. My strawberries are constantly eaten by pests. Many of my brassicas never make it past the surface before being annihilated by bugs. Then there's the rabbits and squirrels. It is a never ending battle. No wonder it is so easy for the chemical companies to keep selling their products. It is way easier to spray some magic formula on my garden to make the bugs go away and the other vermin and get my plants to grow huge than it is to feed the soil properly to get it healthy and running at optimum.
There are as many soil recipes as gardeners, it seems. I am still not sure if I should add lime or not. Is peat moss really endangered? How can I get my soil to grow tomatoes without needing to keep adding fertilizer throughout the growing cycle? Is there a balanced compost for all plants and all applications? Where does bat guano come from?
There are answers on the internet for all of these questions but there are too many answers. There are too many different situations to consider when first starting and then maintaining a garden. Your best gardening method should be different than mine. You live in a different place than I do. Your micro climates are different around your own yard. The way you choose to be your best gardening method needs to include a way to measure your success and track your improvements.
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