Victory Gardening

Gardening is one of the best ways I have found in which to cut down on the environmental wastes.  Instead of buying those cans of vegetable or frozen poly bags of produce I sow my own seeds for vegetables where ever I live.  Last year I grew green onions, pumpkins, rhubarb, sunflowers, lemon thyme, peppers, Italian and curled leaf parsley, basil, tomatoes, nasturtiums, strawberries, yarrow, marigold (some are edible and used as egg substitutes), lavender, lemon balm and rosemary.  If I had more area in which I was allowed to plant vegetables I would utilize it too.  There are some restrictions to gardening on the military installations.  I'm limited to the two front flower beds and the one in back I got permission to have installed over the old tree stump.

In the next week or so, when the plumbers have finished tearing up my bathroom for the Slab Leak, I'll begin my indoor sowing of seeds in the peet pots I purchased last summer.  Whatever I grow I always share with friends and family.  Its seems as though I have a green thumb when it comes to gardening and what I plant grows like wild fire.

Over the winter season my husband has been compiling compost so that we can work it into the soil of our flower beds this spring.  We don't use pesticides or chemical fertilizers aside from the once a month use of Miracle Grow.  Its my little cheat making it not a totally organic garden but I don't use it very often.  I usually forget to use the stuff and still have an unopened bag of the singles from last year.  I don't think that the nitrogen, pot ash, and ammonium sulfate combination is going to be all that harmful to the vegetables, no more so than  using potting soil that contains a boost to it.  Most smart farmers, even the organic gardeners use items to correct the soil ph and organic fertilizers of which they hope are actually organic to begin with.  But back to the idea of a Victory Garden before I get too far off this environmental post.  I could use Epsom salts to fertilize garden as well as cow manure.

If funds are tight and fresh vegetables seem to be always off your grocery list due to a tight budget, the seed packets are inexpensive enough to purchase.  Our housing service does offer dirt that can be used to grow your plants but you are better off sterilizing it in your oven to ensure there are no extras that you don't want in your garden beds.  Growing your own vegetables is a thing of pride.  I feel a happiness surge whenever I look out on my garden and see how well everything is growing knowing that I'm doing my part to supplement the food on our table.

Enough of my ramblings.  Get yourself some seeds, some dirt and even a broken cup will do for a pot.  Go start your own Victory garden.

Here are some links to sites for more information on the subject:

Victory Gardening with Heirloom Seeds, nothing tastes better than heirloom vegetables! http://www.heirloomseeds.com/victory.html

Grow your own Victory Garden just about anywhere http://www.victorygardeninitiative.org/

And a wonderful source with a full color online catalog, http://www.burpee.com/