Beginning Your Culinary Garden

By J. A. Young

Growing your own fruits and vegetables is not as convenient as reaching for them in the produce section of your supermarket, but it can be an inexpensive alternative coupled with a rewarding means to staying active and eating smart. Gardening for the kitchen is a useful way to stock your refrigerator with healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs as well as taking the edge off your ever-increasing grocery bill.

Of course, there is an initial cost. A new gardener needs the tools of the trade - hoe, spade, shovel, wheelbarrow, watering can, etc. The trick is not to let your garden and its expenses get out of hand. Begin small. Clear a sunny section of your yard to begin. Often you can find a useful variety of yard implements at flea markets and yard sales. You might also ask to borrow a neighbor’s tools until you piece your own collection together. Soil and fertilizer are considerations when it comes to cost, but these may be trifling when you factor in a year’s worth of store-bought produce.

A garden that is fifteen by twenty feet in length typically allows for a good variety of produce and may still be manageable for a new gardener. But consider other growing avenues as well. For example, a window box makes a great growing space for chives and various herbs. You can actually grow a table-top herbal garden on a picnic bench provided you have adequate pots for them to grow. Make use of barrels and other pots you can find inexpensively at second hand stores.

Again, you may need to buy soil - but you can often repair your soil’s shortcomings by becoming adept at composting. Compost can be comprised of egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetable peels - all sorts of organic matter that will restore or transform your soil into an earthy genie that spills forth spectacular bounty. The art of composting is a necessary and earth-friendly endeavor that will repay you with great-tasting fruits and vegetables. Composting can restore optimum health to your soil and is also cheaper than fertilizer purchased from a garden center.

Installing a garden also requires some reading and research. If you are new to gardening you will need to read up on each type of fruit and vegetable you plan to grow. Luckily, there is a myriad of source material for planting an edible garden. You need to find out the planting and care requirements for every plant you will grow. If you start simple - tomatoes, peppers, basil - you will quickly master the care plan. The planting and harvesting is relatively quick work, but the watering, weeding, and inspecting can take up time. But it will be time well spent.

Finally, installing a successful garden may lead to learning other crafts. Learning to can is a great way to make the most of your harvest. While it can also be time consuming, it is still an inexpensive alternative to purchasing canned fruits and vegetables at the store. Planting a culinary garden is a rewarding option in today’s economic climate. It is good for the pocketbook, but it is also good for the gardener.

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