Organic Gardening: Lesson One - You Can Do This!

This blog has become something like the old slumber party game Truth or Dare for me. By choosing to live in an ecovillage that is open to the public and deliberately demonstrating sustainbility my life has become an open book. By having a blog I am taking this book, previously read by a few dozen people each year, and broadcasting it on the internet for the whole wide world to see.

I find this a bit daunting.

But I believe in truth in advertising, and it only seems fair that if I am promoting Organic Gardening and encouraging you all to have, if not a proper garden then at least a pot with a tomato plant, the least I can do is show you what I am doing here at Dancing Rabbit.

So I am posting photos of my "garden." I am hoping that rather than being appalled you will find it inspriational, and think "heck, if she can turn that into a garden, I can do anything!" Dear readers, I live to serve.

The photo above is of our "front yard." February is indeed bleak - the snow has melted, the soil is very muddy, and we have yet to glimpse the little green nubbins poking their heads out to signal the beginning of spring.

Our strawbale house is to the left, out of camera range. The upright posts in cement footings at the left of the shot hold up our solar water heating panel, which provides hot water for our tub, shower, and sinks (kitchen & bathroom). In the center of the shot is our compost bin, which one day will be painted and have climbing clematis all over it. To the right of the bins is our wood shed. Built entirely out of reclaimed materials, it too will someday be painted and covered with flowers. The shingles on the roof and sides, by the way, are scraps from the local pallet mill that Kurt cut to size.

But back to the garden itself. There are two beds, marked by sticks and covered with straw. While they look suspicously like graves (don't mess with the Rabbits!) they are, actually, my asparagus beds. Planted two summers ago, we finally get to harvest the stalks this year. I have melted butter waiting already.

Around these two beds I'll be prepping additional beds and planting other veggies and flowers.

Moving on the the other side of the yard:

In front of the solar panels is a now-invisible bed where I grew tomatoes, peppers and a few flowers last summer. I'll be expanding the bed, and planting the tomatoes and peppers elsewhere this year. To the right, out of camera range, is the Milkweed Mercantile. While it is hard to believe now, by the end of the summer this entire space will be green and filled with blooms and vegetables.

Your assignment this week:

1. Make a list of three vegetables you like - Fresh-from-the-garden-baby lettuce? Tomatoes? Sweet bell or hot anaheim peppers? Zucchini or delicata or spaghetti squash? spinach? Okra? Cucumbers? Carrots?

2. Now add a couple of herbs you'd like to try. Consider basil, cilantro, dill, peppermint, sage, oregano, thyme... If you need inspriation, check out a vegetarian cookbook. Two of my favorites are:

From Asparagus to Zucchini

The Gardener's Community Cookbook

3. Take a photo of where your garden will be. Is it covered in weeds? Fabulous. The "before" photos make your accomplishments all the more spectacular. And sometimes when you're in the middle of a project is is difficult to remember just how far you've come. So take a few photos. The uglier the better!

With your dream list and your garden area decided upon, we can start serious planning next week. See you then! (and if you still need seeds, check out our offerings here.)