The pandemic is upon us! You cannot escape the outpouring of depressing news that has swept the globe in recent weeks. I hope everyone has found some outlet or hobbies to be positive as there is light at the end of this long tunnel. During the World Wars, victory gardens were planted in homes and parks across the world to supplement food shortage and boost morale.
Following this pandemic there has been a surge of suburban people like us who grow their own food. Oregon State University's Master Gardener Program has noticed this trend and has offered free online courses through the end of April.
This may have started as a hobby for us, but it led to a necessity. There is a growing shortage of food in supermarkets and grocers are finding it hard to keep up with the supply chain. Our family has been growing vegetables for more than a year. On Earth Day, 2018, we experimented with a couple of neglected pots that were sitting around. By August, we were harvesting eggplants, chillies, basil, and tomatoes. The only thing better than farm-to-fork is garden-to-fork. The joy of picking your own cherry tomatoes and basil cannot be explained in words.
Fast Forward to Fall 2019, when my family was planning a patio makeover we decided to take this one step further and grow our own food in garden beds. And soon we were in the lumber department at hardware stores sourcing for the right wood and the right soil to get us started. I recommend becoming friends with the garden store experts :). Initially we came up with two 12 by 5 ft beds in October. Wood is a popular choice because it’s reasonably inexpensive and lasts several years. Becoming a sustainable gardener meant we had to choose carefully to avoid contaminating the soil and ensure we had eco-friendly options. I recommend locally-sourced, FSC-certified, untreated wood, preferably rot-resistant. Here is a helpful explainer video from Lowe's.
We also had to pick the suitable type of organic soil. Soil bags can be heavy, so I recommend taking your family on a weekend DIY trip and getting as many as 10 bags for each bed or you can order online. The depth of the bed varies but 6 inches of soil should be the minimum. Most plants need at least 6 to 12 inches for their roots to attach so 12 inches is ideal. My personal recommendation is the 3 CU. FT. pink and yellow "Kellogg Garden Organics Raised Bed & Potting Mix". Alternately you can also get "Miracle-Gro Organic Raised Bed" soil.
Since it was late fall, we planted mostly winter crops like spinach, green leaf, red leaf, romaine leaf lettuce, and red cabbage that thrive in cooler weather. We also planted potatoes, onions , garlic, ginger, lemon, orange, blueberries, strawberries, and some of my favorite blooms, tulips and mums. Throughout winter, we received a constant supply of salad. My favorite salad is made from the base of red, green, and romaine leaf lettuce with shredded carrot, diced apple cubes, orange slices, olive oil, almonds, and lemon juice. I also like my eggs (pasture raised, clean and humane), sunny side up in the morning with a side of spinach and topped with spring onions from my garden beds.
We waited until January to add two more beds. One of them was 12*5 ft like the last two beds, and the other was 6*2 ft. Then we amended the soil in the first two garden beds with some additional organic soil to regrow more vegetables. I also carefully dug out any of my winter salad greens that were done for the season and in some cases bolting. In our first online garden club meeting, I can talk more about bolting. The salads such as red leaf or spinach, prefer the cooler season and will respond to heat by producing flowers and seeds. This causes the leaves to be rather bitter, and therefore it's time to remove the plant when it is flowering. Once our four beds were ready, we planted cauliflower, two types of kale, more spinach, red lettuce, green lettuce, swiss chard, broccoli, radish, lots of green cabbage, and corn. We also planted many varieties of tomatoes, chillies, cilantro, carrots, eggplants, bell peppers, peas, beans, zucchini, potatoes, beets, okra, mint, celery, garlic, ginger, and squash. We can't wait to harvest in summer. Grow bags are also a popular option for growing tomatoes, potatoes. onions, and peppers.
If you want to get a head start now, get your seeds and plants and start planting in any pots or containers you have, even if it's not wood based raised beds. I love the Lowe's garden store in Dublin and the Alden Lane nursery in Livermore but since we have to shelter in place now, I recommend buying plants or seeds at Lowe's.com or exclusively at a seed store called https://migardener.com/ or other garden centers.
As you can see, I am an accidental gardener. A patio makeover project designed by my mom led me to take this seriously. Now I enjoy the food I grow, and I consume more vegetables than in the past. Learning gardens can be a terrific way to fight childhood obesity and other health issues. I look forward to hosting my first online Garden Club Meeting on Zoom on April 19th, 2020 for Earth Day.
