{"id":5366,"date":"2022-05-19T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T07:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/cn\/?post_type=product&p=5366"},"modified":"2022-05-19T07:48:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T07:48:00","slug":"from-the-ground-up-robin-eric-mittenthal","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/cn\/from-the-ground-up-robin-eric-mittenthal\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Ground Up – Robin Eric Mittenthal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting started as an organic gardener<\/span><\/h2>\n

The absolute minimum amount you need to know <\/span>If you read nothing else from this guide, read the following 14 steps and give gardening a try. You <\/span>may find that you don\u2019t like it, or you may find that you like it enough to want to read more of the <\/span>guide. Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Think about the vegetables and herbs you enjoy eating and the flowers you enjoy looking at. <\/span>Make a list of those you enjoy most, and think about which are hardest to find or most expensive to <\/span>buy in stores \u2013 those are the ones you\u2019ll want to grow. Sweet corn, winter squash, and watermelons <\/span>are popular choices, but be aware that they take up<\/span> a lot<\/span> of space (winter squash<\/a>, for example, <\/span>should be planted at least 180 cm\/6 ft apart). Other vegetables take more space than you might <\/span>think \u2013 tomatoes<\/a>, for example, should be planted at least 60 cm (24 in) apart. Some plants that get <\/span>big (cucumbers and pole beans, for example) can be trained up structures called trellises so they <\/span>take less space.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Divide the crops you want to grow into cool-season crops<\/a> (which do best in the spring and the fall) <\/span>and warm-season crops<\/a> (which do best in the summer). Common cool-season crops include beets, <\/span>broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, lettuce and other salad greens, peas, <\/span>potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. These crops can survive cold weather (even some frost). <\/span>Popular warm-season crops include beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, pumpkins, <\/span>squash, tomatoes, and watermelons. These crops need very warm weather to grow and cannot sur<\/span>vive frost at all.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Further divide the crops you want to grow into crops that can be grown from seed in the garden <\/span>and those that are usually planted in a house or greenhouse<\/a> and moved (or transplanted) into the <\/span>garden as small plants. Of the crops listed above in step 2, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard <\/span>greens, eggplant, kale, peppers, and tomatoes are almost always transplanted by new gardeners. <\/span>Cucumbers, pumpkins, and watermelons are sometimes transplanted and sometimes not (buying or <\/span>growing your own plants can protect the young plants from pests and cold weather that they would <\/span>meet in the garden). Other plants are grown from seed.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Using your lists from steps 2 and 3, above, figure out which plants you need to buy as seed and <\/span>which you will buy as transplants. In late winter, go to a garden store or use a mail or internet cata- <\/span>log to buy the seeds you need. You will buy the transplants when you need them later. If you are a <\/span>new gardener, it is recommended that you plan to buy transplants at a nursery or garden store <\/span>rather than growing them yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. In April, or as early after that as you can, find a garden spot (or take whichever one you\u2019ve been <\/span>given). If you have a choice, your garden location should be flat and exposed to full sun all day.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Use whatever tool(s) you have handy to break up the soil throughout your garden. If at all possi<\/span>ble, add some fertilizer and soil amendments. Talk to an experienced person at a good garden store <\/span>for suggestions about what to buy, emphasizing that you want to grow organically. <\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Mark off the areas you plan to grow in with sticks. Leave paths in between that are at least 30 cm <\/span>(12 in) wide. <\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Use your tool(s) to prepare smooth beds where the topmost soil is very fine (no large lumps). <\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Using the directions on the seed packets you bought, start planting seeds of cool-season crops <\/span>(again, this can happen as early as the beginning of April for many crops). Leave space for the <\/span>warm season crops, which will not get planted until late May or early June (or plant very quick-<\/span>growing crops that will be finished by early June).<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Weed your garden regularly (at least once a week), and put down leaves, straw, newspaper, <\/span>and\/or cardboard around your crops to keep weeds from growing. Harvest crops as they mature. <\/span><\/li>\n
  11. When all danger of frost has passed (in late May or early June), buy transplants of warm-season <\/span>crops and plant them in the garden as quickly as you can after buy<\/span>ing them.<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Continue weeding and harvesting through the summer, watering <\/span>your garden thoroughly (for one hour or more) once a week if it has <\/span>not rained.<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. As cold weather approaches in October, begin replacing warm-<\/span>season crops with cool-season crops as the warm-season crops be<\/span>gin to die.<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Harvest your garden for as long as you can.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why garden?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    There are as many reasons to garden as there are gardeners. With a little land, a few seeds and <\/span>tools, and some fertilizer, anyone willing to put in the time and effort can grow a wide variety of deli<\/span>cious and nutritious vegetables (and perhaps some fruit, too). Growing your own vegetables can <\/span>cost significantly less than buying them (unless you pay yourself to work in the garden), and the food <\/span>you grow may be more nutritious than equivalent produce purchased at grocery stores. We live in <\/span>an age in which food marketing is all about cholesterol, fiber, and this or that type of fat. Gardening <\/span>helps you turn away from this absurdity and return to the idea of eating whole, nutritious, delicious <\/span>food<\/span>, as opposed to whatever \u201cnutrients\u201d the latest scientists, marketers, and journalists have told us <\/span>might be best (or worst) for our health. Similarly, in an era in which many Americans are almost <\/span>completely sedentary (or go to great lengths to \u201cexercise\u201d), gardening is a form of activity (strenuous <\/span>or not-so-strenuous, as you choose) that has a useful end product and doesn\u2019t require wearing lycra<\/span>
    tights. For those overwhelmed by the pace of modern life, gardening can provide a focused, mindful <\/span>break from constant noise and rush. For others, the feeling of stewardship of a piece of land, of soil <\/span>and plants, is important. For those with children, gardening can be an excellent way to introduce <\/span>children to the natural world and to food production and preparation. Finally, many just plain find it <\/span>enjoyable. <\/span><\/p>\n

    What more reason do you need?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"