The following is a guest post from this week’s giveaway vendor, Homesteader’s Supply!

The folks at Homesteader’s Supply often work with people struggling to be more self sufficient yet constrained by job, location, physical ability and so much more. One way that many can begin this quest in self sufficiency is simply by growing some of their food for the dinner table. Whether you live in a condominium in the city or have acreage in the country, there is something very rewarding about growing your own summer vegetables. The bounty of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and so much more is achievable despite any space restrictions that you may face.

Patio gardening is best for those with restricted growing areas. A few simple two to three gallon pots with a growing medium geared for vegetables (Miracle Grow has a nice garden soil designed just for this type of growing) will be perfect to get you started.  Many plants desire mostly sun to partly sunny areas, so the patio or deck is often a perfect location for garden plants. Lettuce and other herbs can be grown in smaller containers right in your kitchen window sill or a garden window next to your breakfast nook.  Not only do you have a patio and window sills filled with beautiful plants, they are all edible!

An option for those with very small back yards is to either create an in ground garden by turning the dirt and adding compost to enrich the soil. Many till up an entire square and while every method is right for the grower, meaning there is no wrong way to grow vegetables, I typically till rows and leave a hard pack path for walking between rows. It keeps my boots much less muddy and if grass is grown on the paths, you can make the wide enough to mow with a push mower. The path is not only pretty to look at between all of the rows of vegetables, but keeps your working area mud free.  And remember, if you use a planting rotation timetable, like a week between plantings of the same seeds…you won’t end up with all the broccoli or lettuce ready at the same time.

Another option is what we tried last year, actually growing the plants in straw bales! This method is great for those with back problems as it requires very little bending and almost no weeding! The trick with straw bale gardening is to get the bales composting on the inside prior to planting. This is accomplished by adding sodium nitrate or ammonium nitrate to each bale daily for ten days and soaking the bales thoroughly each day after sprinkling the fertilizer on the tops of the bales.  For those interested in this medium, it is one cup of the fertilizer sprinkled on each bale for day one and then a quarter of cup each day for nine days. Soak the bales thoroughly after each treatment. This process begins the cooking process inside the bales and once finished it creates a growing medium for the plants within the bale, so no soil is needed!  I grew in bales last year and had a very nice harvest. Typically, a grower can get two years out of each bale of straw.

Now, what kinds of seeds are best? We, here at Homesteader’s Supply, like to grow heirloom and organic crops, and surprise… they are available on our site. We’ve planted almost every variety of the seeds we carry and are very happy with the quality and harvest!  Much of what’s at the grocery store is genetically modified and has been sprayed with pesticides, which can possible lead to allergies and illnesses. The desire to grow your own food is often to get away from this type of industrialized food. An added benefit of heirloom and organic is that if you choose, you can save the seeds to use next year once properly dried!

www.HomesteaderSupply.com
(928) 583-0254
Quality Products, Competitive Pricing with Old Fashioned Customer Service!