How to take action- When deciding what to grow, think about things that you eat frequently and that are suitable for your area and the size of your space. Gardening magazines, the internet, or books are helpful resources in determining plants that can grow in your area.
- Use this garden zone map, to find out the hardiness rating of your area. Hardiness ratings are based on average winter low and summer high temperatures. Most plants and seeds provide information on the hardiness zone they will grow in. You can usually grow plants that will grow in your zone and below.
- What will grow best for you depends on your location, the size of space you have, the orientation of the growing space (north, south, east, west); and how much time and attention you want to give it. The resurgence of gardening means there is plenty of information available on growing tips for all kinds of plants and garden types.
- Many plants, even some large ones, can grow well in containers. Berries, herbs, salad and cooking greens, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are all great options for container gardening. Transform a small deck, or even a sunny windowsill, into a beautiful organic food garden.
- Companion planting is a method of growing plants near each other that are beneficial to each other. This makes each plant stronger, reduces the amount of inputs you need to your soil, and can provide more beauty a garden by mixing flowers and herbs with vegetables and fruits. A companion planting chart or reference guide can help you determine which plants are compatible or incompatible.
- Yard to garden conversions are becoming increasingly common in urban and suburban areas. Some people till up their lawns and augment the soil to make beds, or you can sheet mulch (also called lasagne gardening), covering the parts of the lawn you want to turn into beds with cardboard, mulch, and compost to build soil and block grass right on top of your lawn – without digging. Another option is to make raised beds on top of your lawn.
- Food gardens can be as beautiful as flower gardens – and they have the added beauty of provided sweet, delicious fruits and vegetables. Use food plants for edible landscaping and mix in flowers to bring bees and other beneficial insects to your garden. Berry bushes, dwarf fruit trees, strawberry and kiwi vines, grapes, edible flowers, and climbing peas, beans, and cucumbers can be used for stunning visual effects as well as delicious ones.
- Community garden plots can provide more space for people who want to grow food but don't have a lot of space. Contact your local city hall or chamber of commerce to find out if there are spaces available in your area (in some places you will have to get on a waiting list for a year). If there aren't community gardens in your neighbourhood, think about .
- Ensure you put some bee and bird plants in the mix, to help your garden and to support biodiversity. Bees are vital and highly beneficial insects. The information that accompanies plants when sold often mentions whether the plant is a bee attractor. Birds like seeds, nuts and berries. Early spring and late into fall are key times when birds and bees may have a harder time finding other foods.
- Permaculture practices allow for abundance in small spaces without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and with great attention to your local assets and challenges. Find out more about how to apply these principles in your garden, whatever the size.
- Composting is the key to turn soil into productive land that yields a bounty of food and flowers. Turn your kitchen scraps and lawn clippings into nutrient rich soil food. Even apartment dwellers can compost.
Why it makes a difference- Reducing food miles – the distance your food has travelled to get to you – is something you can do to reduce your household's carbon footprint. In most cases, reducing food miles also means you are eating more whole foods, produce in season, and fewer packaged foods.
- With a high percentage of the global population living in urban areas, it's essential that we increase urban and suburban biodiversity. Plants benefit wildlife, provide oxygen and shade, store water, prevent erosion and impart beauty.
- Growing food and flowers supports bees and other beneficial insects that pollinate plants and keep plants, pests and disease in check. Bees are vital. Bees and flowering plants coevolved. They cannot live and reproduce without each other. That means if bees die off, we won't have most of our food products.
- Fresh picked food tastes fresher and you can pick it when it's perfectly ripe.
- You control chemical inputs. You can grow your own food organically – for less than using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, benefiting your health and the planet.
- Growing food costs a lot less than buying it. A package of seeds costs about $3.50 and will provide tomatoes for a summer, sometimes with enough left to can or dry some for winter.
- Growing food and pulling it fresh from the garden inspires kids to eat – and grow – more fruits and veggies. And never mind kids, growing food will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen with handfuls of fresh berries or salad greens or perfectly ripe tomatoes.
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