Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
What and
How Much Do You
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Want to Grow?
Getting your garden set in place is an amazing feeling. It is literally putting roots into your com-
munity and your home. Transforming part of your backyard into a productive place that will
actually feed your family is brilliant—if it works. And for that to happen you want to make sure
you keep a few things in mind when you plan and build your garden, including where your garden
should be and what plants to grow.
You'll not only need to plan your garden, but also determine the best style of garden for your situ-
ation. Whether you use traditional gardening methods, raised beds, or containers, you'll want to
gather the needed materials ahead of time.
Planning Your Garden Space
First you need to think about what your family eats. This is an area where I think a lot of hobby
gardeners fail. They focus solely on a limited number of vegetables, which generally make up a
small portion of their typical diet. When trying to support a family with your food, you want to
think about nutrient-rich, high-protein, and high-caloric plants such as fruits, potatoes, beans, and
grains.
My husband loves tomatoes, so we devote a significant portion of our garden to tomatoes. We eat
a lot of fresh tomatoes while they are growing and I preserve them by making sun-dried tomatoes
and salsa, which are things we use a lot in our family. I can get organic pasta sauce for a reasonable
price, but salsa and sun-dried tomatoes are more costly to purchase in our grocery store, so that's
what I focus on. Watermelon, raspberries, onions, asparagus, green beans, and squash are other
items we eat a lot, so we find lots of space for these plants in our garden.
I also look at the cost of getting organic or locally grown produce in my area when working with
a limited space. I've found that herbs in particular are often overlooked by the average home
gardener, and fresh herbs are usually very pricy to purchase. For example, my local grocery store
charges more than $3 for a small package of fresh basil, but a packet of seeds for basil is only $1.
I can grow $50 worth of basil (or more!) in just one summer season.
