When I told my mother (a master gardener) that I was going to get serious about gardening, she told me to go find this book by Mel Bartholomew and she'd send me the money to buy it. That's a pretty amazing recommendation! It truly is a new approach to gardening - no tiller, no hoeing, no back-breaking work - all in a quarter of the space. Obviously, I haven't used all of his techniques yet (hey, this is just my first year of serious gardening), but every one I have used has worked! The soil is amazing! My only complaint is that the vermiculite is expensive, but it is a one time per garden investment. Next year when I put in another square foot garden (or as the author refers to it, SFG), I'll buy the vermiculite online - I found it cheaper there. There really is very little weeding and it's a snap with this soil. I have a huge elm tree which, with the help of the OKC winds, deposited tons of seeds in my garden and, in my new fertile soil, they immediately sprouted; but you really can pull them out with just two fingers. Every time I passed my garden I'd just reach down and pick out a few, so they never became a problem. Basically everything I've tried from this book really does what the author says it will do - makes gardening easy (or, in my case, easier) and a lot more fun and productive. I didn't use his vertical gardening technique on my tomatoes and wished I had. I didn't make the same mistake on the cantaloupe; it's growing right up an SFG frame as I write. I'm going to take the author's advice, get out my SFG book this winter, and plan next year's garden in advance - using as many of his techniques as I can. (Oh yes, there's also an SFG video I checked out from the library, which was very helpful for a visual learner like me.)
Monday, July 11, 2011
All New Square Foot Gardening (Review)
***** (RM) If you can only get one gardening book, get this one.
When I told my mother (a master gardener) that I was going to get serious about gardening, she told me to go find this book by Mel Bartholomew and she'd send me the money to buy it. That's a pretty amazing recommendation! It truly is a new approach to gardening - no tiller, no hoeing, no back-breaking work - all in a quarter of the space. Obviously, I haven't used all of his techniques yet (hey, this is just my first year of serious gardening), but every one I have used has worked! The soil is amazing! My only complaint is that the vermiculite is expensive, but it is a one time per garden investment. Next year when I put in another square foot garden (or as the author refers to it, SFG), I'll buy the vermiculite online - I found it cheaper there. There really is very little weeding and it's a snap with this soil. I have a huge elm tree which, with the help of the OKC winds, deposited tons of seeds in my garden and, in my new fertile soil, they immediately sprouted; but you really can pull them out with just two fingers. Every time I passed my garden I'd just reach down and pick out a few, so they never became a problem. Basically everything I've tried from this book really does what the author says it will do - makes gardening easy (or, in my case, easier) and a lot more fun and productive. I didn't use his vertical gardening technique on my tomatoes and wished I had. I didn't make the same mistake on the cantaloupe; it's growing right up an SFG frame as I write. I'm going to take the author's advice, get out my SFG book this winter, and plan next year's garden in advance - using as many of his techniques as I can. (Oh yes, there's also an SFG video I checked out from the library, which was very helpful for a visual learner like me.)
When I told my mother (a master gardener) that I was going to get serious about gardening, she told me to go find this book by Mel Bartholomew and she'd send me the money to buy it. That's a pretty amazing recommendation! It truly is a new approach to gardening - no tiller, no hoeing, no back-breaking work - all in a quarter of the space. Obviously, I haven't used all of his techniques yet (hey, this is just my first year of serious gardening), but every one I have used has worked! The soil is amazing! My only complaint is that the vermiculite is expensive, but it is a one time per garden investment. Next year when I put in another square foot garden (or as the author refers to it, SFG), I'll buy the vermiculite online - I found it cheaper there. There really is very little weeding and it's a snap with this soil. I have a huge elm tree which, with the help of the OKC winds, deposited tons of seeds in my garden and, in my new fertile soil, they immediately sprouted; but you really can pull them out with just two fingers. Every time I passed my garden I'd just reach down and pick out a few, so they never became a problem. Basically everything I've tried from this book really does what the author says it will do - makes gardening easy (or, in my case, easier) and a lot more fun and productive. I didn't use his vertical gardening technique on my tomatoes and wished I had. I didn't make the same mistake on the cantaloupe; it's growing right up an SFG frame as I write. I'm going to take the author's advice, get out my SFG book this winter, and plan next year's garden in advance - using as many of his techniques as I can. (Oh yes, there's also an SFG video I checked out from the library, which was very helpful for a visual learner like me.)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Oklahoma Food Cooperative (Review)
***** If you live in Oklahoma and aren't a member, WHY NOT!
The Oklahoma Food Cooperative is a great place to find food, seeds, plants and lots of other things grown or made with sustainable and cruelty free practices. Everything sold - from stained glass to worms - is actually grown or produced in Oklahoma. You know where your products come from, and can actually contact (or in some cases even visit) the producers. From the first day of every the month to the second Thursday of the month, consumers go online and order what they want. The third Thursday is "Delivery Day"; producers from all over the state converge with their products and volunteers sort them into customer orders, pick-up locations, and delivery routes. There are pick-up locations all over the state, and an option to have your order delivered to your home. Sound impossibly confusing? It's not. I've volunteered at the sorting site; it is "organized chaos" and an absolutely amazing experience. Because it is a co-op there is a $51.75 fee to buy a share, but it is a one-time fee and more than worth it. The "experiment" began in 2003 and I joined just a few years later; I cannot believe how large it has grown, and how much I still feel connected to the people who make or grow the products I buy. Check out the website (http://www.oklahomafood.coop/) to learn all about it. By the way, if you don't live in Oklahoma, don't despair; many states now have co-ops based on the "Oklahoma Model." Check in your area.
The Oklahoma Food Cooperative is a great place to find food, seeds, plants and lots of other things grown or made with sustainable and cruelty free practices. Everything sold - from stained glass to worms - is actually grown or produced in Oklahoma. You know where your products come from, and can actually contact (or in some cases even visit) the producers. From the first day of every the month to the second Thursday of the month, consumers go online and order what they want. The third Thursday is "Delivery Day"; producers from all over the state converge with their products and volunteers sort them into customer orders, pick-up locations, and delivery routes. There are pick-up locations all over the state, and an option to have your order delivered to your home. Sound impossibly confusing? It's not. I've volunteered at the sorting site; it is "organized chaos" and an absolutely amazing experience. Because it is a co-op there is a $51.75 fee to buy a share, but it is a one-time fee and more than worth it. The "experiment" began in 2003 and I joined just a few years later; I cannot believe how large it has grown, and how much I still feel connected to the people who make or grow the products I buy. Check out the website (http://www.oklahomafood.coop/) to learn all about it. By the way, if you don't live in Oklahoma, don't despair; many states now have co-ops based on the "Oklahoma Model." Check in your area.
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