From My Garden...

My children in the garden a few years ago.

I like to garden. I really do, but as time passes, and my responsibilities are greater, I find that my desire to garden has diminished. It is alot of hard work to raise your own food, and to keep the weeds down. The past few summers, our veggie garden has been sadly neglected, as sickness and busy schedules did not allow much time to devote to gardening. But I MISS it.

At least 10 years ago, I heard about 'no till' gardening from a book I picked up at the local library. I read it with interest and it has 'soaked and simmered' all these years as I've gardened. A few years ago, a friend recommended that I should watch the Back to Eden film, and I put that thought on the back burner but after the third and fourth mention of it over the years by others, I decided this spring I would watch it, especially after I watched this short clip and learned of Ruth Stout's gardening methods:

Ruth Stout's Garden

I was very intrigued. This makes alot of sense to me.

So from Ruth Stout's Garden, I went on to watch 

the Back to Eden film, twice! Once by myself,

and once with the whole family, 

and we are all inspired!

We decided to give it a try.

We are preparing part of our big

vegetable garden for next summer,

and planted just a little plot for some

fall vegetables for our table.

It's been alot of fun so far.

My dad gave us a huge stack of newspapers

that were in his office,

and we've been having fun 

'dumpster diving'

at a local Mennonite bulk food store

for cardboard boxes to lay down

as a weed barrier.

Building the soil through no till gardening

really makes alot of sense to me.

We decided to use what resources we have,

and since we live on a farm,

hay and straw are readily available,

that will be our main cover.

Perhaps we will use ground leaves 

when they are available in the fall.

 

I like to grow my

own food.

 I enjoy preserving

the harvest,

and serving

that food to 

my family

in the winter

months.

I like to know

where my

food comes 

from and

how it was grown.

Being sick, and extra busy for a few summers has helped me to reinforce

the knowledge that it is not a must to do this,

and it is not even possible at times

(hello! we do not live in Bible times or Victorian days

where servants were plentiful!)

But I do like it,

and I enjoy the thought

of maybe having a way

to build the soil and have less

work in the garden simultaneously.

I bought Ruth Stout's book, and hope to 

devour it soon, too.

Here is another video I came across on mulch gardening:

Deep Mulch Gardening

Happy Gardening,

and happy summer to all,

whether you garden or not!

Love and blessings,

Marcia