Everyone is wondering how they are going to stretch thier money just a little further these days.  One thing you can do is to use whateverlawn space you have to grow your own food.  The time to start planning this is now because seeds for some plants can be started indoors.  I received my first seed catalog back in December but more are arriving daily and if you have a computer, you can shop online for seeds from all over the world. 

 

It's not hard to start seeds in your home.  Here's what you need: 

 

A garden plan (decide how big you want the garden and how many plants you'll need)

South facing window or grow light that can be raised or lowered

Pots or planting trays

Soil (preferably an organic mix)

Sprinkle type watering can

Seeds

 

First make your plan.  A garden needs lots of sun so pick a place in your yard where you have sun most of the day.  You will prepare soil later probably in April or May but you need to know the size of your garden now.  Using paper, draw your garden using 1 inch to 1 foot dimensions.  Most plants have space requirements.  Give plants like tomatoes two feet between plants, peas and beans are planted closer in rows, onions are planted closely, squash and cucumbers need about 6 square feet per hill unless they are trellised.  There are many resources to help you plan your garden.

 

Once you've decided on your garden plan and how many plants you need, order your seed.  I like these places (Seeds of change, Pine Tree Gardens ,Johnny's , and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)for seeds because they offer organic seeds and heirloom varieties.  One advantage of having your own gardern is that you can have varieties you can't buy in a grocery store. 

 

You could also purchase soil mix and seed trays at this time.  You can buy these at dollar stores, home and garden stores, or online.  You can also make your own seed containers by recycling things you have at home.  Yogurt containers, berry containers, bottoms of water and soda bottles, etc will alll work for starting seeds.  Just make sure there are small drainage holes if the containers are plastic. 

 

A grow light is a good investment.  You can get these at home and garden stores, stores like K-mart, or maybe ask if anyone has one on Freecycle or Craig's list.  I hang my grow light on a make shift frame made from an old clothing rack. 

 

Prepare your planting items the day before you plant.  Watering your soil in the containers the day before you plant the seeds is a good idea.  Plant your seeds according to the directions on the package and place under the grow light or in your window.  Once the seedlings come up, keep them water so they are just damp (not too wet) and keep them in the light.

 

If you need help with gardening, you can call your local cooperative extension in the phone book under state or county government.  They have people there to answer your questions and sometimes classes on gardening.  You can also e-mail me or twitter me(@ debbeisel) with your questions.  I'd be glad to help, I've been gardening since I was 10 and loving it ever since.

 

One garden may not save the world or feed you whole family, but you will reap the benefits of vegetables that are fresh.  You will get exercise while your are out there in your garden.  And if you use no chemicals, you will have vegetables free of pesticides.  Good for you, good for the earth.

 

 

I'm just about to finish a batch of soap.  I actually made the soap base a while ago and now will "French mill" the soap.  That just means I grate the basic soap, melt it, and add a fragrance.  Then I pour it back into molds and let it get hard again.  However, just because my soap is handmade doesn't make it organic.  I didn't use organic olive oil when I made my basic castile soap.  I also don't think I can even find organic lye which is an essential ingredient for soap.  So how can soap be organic?  Well...according to the standards for organic labeling, it really can't be "organic" unless 95% of the weight of the product (without counting water) is made up of certified organic ingredients.  Very few soaps and cosmetic products fall into that category.  Unless they have this label they are probably just mentioning organic on their label to make their product attractive to people who are looking for organic products.  Still, is my soap better than average regarding safety?  I think it is because there are many chemicals not in my soap that are in others.   My soap is made of sodium hydroxide (lye), olive oil, water, and lavender oil.  That's it.  So, even though it's not organic, I know what's in it and can at least feel good about that.  Besides, it really smells great!