Today I have been preparing for Gardening Season! I am very excited about this, as you should have already been able to tell from the exclamation point. I created a spreadsheet to organize information about the plants I will be growing. I am still in the process of finalizing my order for my seeds. I will be ordering from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Their site can be found at www.rareseeds.com They sell open pollinated and heirloom seeds. They do not sell genetically modified (or genetically mutated as I like to call them) seeds, they do not sell hybrid seeds. This pleases me. I will be planting a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers this year, all started from seed. I did this last year with great success. This week I am preparing to make the soil blocks that I will be starting my seeds in. You can find more information about soil blocking at www.johnnyseeds.com I used this method last year for starting my seeds and did not have to fertilize my garden all season. I love gardening, it is my favorite hobby. My two oldest daughters helped me in my garden last year and are very anxious for spring to come. I think that it is important to garden for many reasons. It is better for the environment than purchasing some vile vegetable from Kermit knows where, that has been shipped Kermit knows how far... It upsets me just thinking about the waste of resources used in transporting the vile vegetable alone. What kind of conditions was the vegetable grown in, transported in? Is it genetically modified? Most probably. Anyway... I know that not everyone agrees with my views on the environment, or on genetically modified food. I don't care, but I don't want to bore anyone so I will not continue on about this, as I am sure you have my meaning. If you grow food in your own garden you know exactly what it is, what conditions it is grown in, and what conditions it is stored in. The food grown in my garden is 100% organic, but again that is just me. Even if you choose not to grow organic, it is still better to grow your own than to but it from some super chain. The other benefit to growing your own garden, is sharing the experience with your children. My daughters help me soil block, plant the seeds, transplant the seeds, weed the garden, and harvest. They also help me wash the vegetables, and prepare them. When they are older I will teach them to can. A garden teaches children about nature, and life cycles. It teaches them responsibility and how to care for living things. Gardening also teaches children how to be self-sufficient in a time where a great number of people can scarcely make themselves dinner. My daughters are amazed when they see their little seeds turn to seedlings, to plants, to vegetables, then to supper. Gardening is the perfect way to bond with one's family. It does not embed consumerism into their little minds the way shopping or television does. It lets them discover the world around them, and allows them to learn in the most effective way, hands on. So, gardening season is just around the corner. Consider starting your own seeds, or if that isn't in the cards for you, consider buying some plants from your local nursery or farmer's market. Plant something, plant some herbs in a pot and place them in a sunny room, I promise your efforts won't be wasted.
"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." -Mahatma Gandhi
