We’ve still got a few weeks before we will start our seeds indoors.  Thanks to all who attended and presented at our local gardening class last month!  I was teaching and at meetings, but managed to get the designer to help out and he filled me in on some of the wonderful things that happened that evening.  We are blessed to have gardening vetrans and resources all around, for which I am thankful.  Don’t hesitate to ask them your toughest gardening questions.  🙂

Edible Gardens:  Many of our gardens seem restricted by the size of our yards.  The designer and I have been growing our vegetable garden in pots and small planter beds the past few years.  Here are some helpful articles and resources:

• The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler – Go ahead and plant your edibles right in your planter beds among your daisies and shrubs
• Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn by Haeg, Balmori & Creasy – Take over and eat it!
• Edible Landscaping and The Edible Herb Garden by Rosalind Creasy

Just a few reminders about SEEDS…

• Why it matters to buy heirloom seeds – this article answers many questions about the importance of heirloom seeds, and also tells about GMO seeds and hybrids.
• you cannot save GMO seeds.  Saving seeds means no buying the next year…and helps biodiversity
• starting seeds early indoors will enable an earlier harvest…a bonus for those of us living in short growing season areas
• Seed Savers Exchange – find more info at the non-profit resource

Where can I buy heirloom seeds?

• Check on your seed packets and ask your local suppliers to offer more varieties
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – We’ve bought seeds from then, highly recommended, I also subscribe to their informative newsletter
• Miracle 2 of Utah
• Kenyon Organics – in Salt Lake

SEEDS SEEDS SEEDS 🙂 As with much in life, optimum results in gardening depend on great beginnings…what products we use, etc.

One more thing…

The designer talked about keeping our plants, veggies, etc. safe from local pests, deer, etc.  There were several wonderful suggestions given from the audience as well…

...may we be mindful about what exactly we are spraying or placing in our plants or soil. (read our labels)

…one suggestions was to spray the cheapest dish soap on our plants to avoid their consumption by deer.

Even though we are not planning on eating those plants, the chemicals and by-products from the cheap dish soap will eventually evaporate with the warm sun or leach into:

• our soil, and eventually other parts of your garden
• our neighbors soil
• ground water
• the watershed
• our rivers, streams, reservoirs, lakes, and eventually oceans
• these toxins will eventually return to us through rain, snow, etc.

One more reason to be aware of our cleaning products, and any chemicals we are using inside and out.

Yes, natural, sustainable gardening takes more time and effort…but it is better for each of us and our posterity in the future. 🙂  Best of wishes everyone as you garden this year! – katrina