On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 09:35:44 GMT, (Rev. J.
Toad) wrote:


Having read about how cool it is to grow and eat your own food, I'm
eager to try it out for myself this summer, especially since I'm in a
massive personal evolution right now and I'd like to tack on as much
good new stuff as I can.

Agree with other posters about starting small. And starting compost.
Never mind those pictures of pretty ladies wafting around with a
designer basket gathering ripe tomatoes -- if it's her garden, she
spends 99% of her garden time in shorts or overalls getting *very*
dirty weeding and digging and watering and digging and dealing with
bugs and digging.

OTOH, there's *never* a time when you can't do something in a garden.
Watching little bitty plants turn into food factories is amazing. Grow
crops appropriate to your area. No point in spending time crying over
immature okra (a long, hot season crop).

I began 'serious' gardening with veg, and later realized I also got a
great deal of pleasure out of adding some flowers. Annuals can provide
a lot of color and variety, and no problem to plow under at the end of
the season.

Just don't bite off more than you can chew for your first season. Or
rather, don't feel *awful* if you can't keep up. Regard it as a
Learning Experience -- the 2nd rule of gardening is "there's always
next year."

Oh, and for reducing lawn area, think 'paths.' Mulch, gravel, stones,
cement slabs, or slate thingies around/through your garden will both
reduce the area to be mowed AND make for more convenient cultivation.
You can also stand there and gaze at your work without compacting the
soil. :-)