Is it Realistic to Grow Your Own Food?
Do you grow your own food? Most of us have thought about growing our own food at some point, whether it’s a small allotment on the balcony of an urban flat or a dedicated plot in the local area. With the price of food rising all the time, it’s a good time to start thinking about supplementing your income.
Find a Spot
With the price of food rising all the time, the idea of growing your own food has reappeared – if it ever really went away. The trouble with growing your own food is the convenience factor, vegetables grow for free, but they take so long to crop up that it’s easier to hop to the store.
That said, with the right attitude and approach, you can enjoy growing food in a garden throughout the year and supplementing your diet as well as your wallet with some nice extras. Find a plot that is convenient and sustainable, and dedicate an entire year to your planting.
Mixed Crops
If you are new to planting, chances are you will choose something easy to begin with, some green beans or some cherry tomatoes; this is wise because it gives you the satisfaction of growing something from the soil along with the experience you need to grow more items.
When you have a bit more experience, it’s a good idea to mix your crops together, so you get a variety of things cropping up at once. Having a variety of foods in your planter is an excellent way to keep yourself motivated and sustain a healthier diet as you develop your growing habits.
Quality Soil
The soil quality matters; it matters to the type of crop you growing, the quality of the yield, and the safety of the product you consume. It’s easy to test the type of soil you have; simply grab some of it in your hand and feel if it is clay, sand, or loam before planting anything produce.
Potatoes, carrots, and onions will do fine in poor-quality soil, but for more delicate plants like strawberries, you will need finer topsoil. If you don’t have the ideal soil for planting, visit Certified Organics and view their full range of organic formulations to improve the quality of produce.
Sow and Grow
Think about the type of vegetable or fruit you are growing and what processes are needed to ensure the best results. Bulbs, for instance, are very easy to plant and can even take root in poor-quality soil, but that’s not the case with most things. You need to find the best balance.
Some varieties will need to be started in trays first, hardened off, and then transplanted later on. The extra steps can take a little more time and effort, but it pays off in the end when you benefit from a high-quality yield. Again, the more experience you gain, the better your yields become.
Timely Harvest
Keep a close eye on your plants when it comes time to harvest them. Some plants will do well on the stalk for a while, but others need to harvest at the right time. If you focus on a selection of crops at first, you can get to understand them better and gain more experience much faster.
