During and after World War I and World War II, communities were strongly encouraged to maintain “Victory Gardens” as an effort to ease food demand and create independent communities.
Today, efforts are once again being made to promote the home garden. Here are five tips we have compiled for starting your own garden:
1. The most important thing you should know about your garden is the composition of the soil. Soil testers can be found at most Feed & Seeds, including Marsolan’s. You’ll be testing for pH, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium levels. These levels may have to be adjusted to suit the crop.
2. The location of your plot should also be considered in relation to requirements for sun, soil preference and irrigation needs, if any.
3. Saving seeds is a simple way to continue favored varieties, preserve heirlooms and cut costs for your garden. You can start your own seed bank and even create your own varieties!
4. Identifying pests, disease and deficiencies is sometimes very difficult and usually comes with time, experience, careful observation and chatting up other local farmers.
5. While having surplus produce can be exciting, eating or sharing all of it before its built-in timer goes off can sometimes be a challenge. In these times it is good to know different methods for preserving foods, such as canning, freezing or dehydrating. Sometimes proper storage of things such as root vegetables can prolong shelf life.
