Gloom & Doom for Home Gardeners? I Don't Think So.

Twitter is “all-a-twitter” about a Boston Globe article today that is one-sided and poorly researched at best. Yep, I’m fired up!

The author’s premise is that gardening is uber expensive and that people in general don’t have the skill or knowledge to grow food plants. Give me a break!

Expensive? Well I suppose it is if you’re shopping in some designer plant store and are willing to pay $5 for 1 lettuce plant as the author tells her readers she did! I can’t stop choking and sputtering on that, but I don’t want to attack anyone’s intellect or common sense. Instead, I’m going to take a factual approach to cost and knowledge needed to grow your own food plants.

The Globe article was based upon the following purchases in bold & I’ve added a reality check following each:

9 plants (tomatoes, peppers & red lettuce): $30 All of these plants can easily be grown from seed, and you can purchase seed packet for less than $1 a piece! Way less, if you’re shopping sales, etc. Even if you want to purchase plants, there’s absolutely no reason to this much money.

Tomato cage: $3 Tomato cages can be purchased for less than $1, or you can create your own supports for close to free with sturdy sticks (wind fall from trees), dowels, and even old broom handles that are driven into the soil next to the plant. Then use old cloth (pantyhose works great) to gently tie the plant to the stake. The pantyhose is stretchy and soft so it doesn’t damage the tomato stem as it grows.

Organic potting mix: $9.50 There are definitely less expensive ways to go here as well. You don’t have to purchase name brand, and that will save a few bucks right there. I’ve always had great luck with a mix of basic soil and some peat moss. Check around your area, many towns have free compost sites where residents take their leaves, lawn clippings, etc. to dispose of. After they dump the waste, they pick up fresh compost (made from last year’s yard waste) to enrich their garden (or container) soil.

Organic plant food: $12. I’ve used a slow release food that cost less than $4.99 for a container a couple of years ago. I add it to the soil when planting and it feeds the plant all season long. By the way, I’m still using the food from that $5 container 3 years later and I grow way more than 9 plants each year.

Three 16-inch terra cotta pots: $90. “Holy Moly, Andy” is all I have to say to this expense. There are much more economical pots available. And, while terra cotta looks nice, it adds a new degree of difficulty to keeping your plants happily watered. Moisture evaporates out the sides of terra cotta so the soil dries out much faster than in pots made of other materials.

Which leads me to the last expense our Boston Globe writer called out …

Water bill: $100 Yes, plants need lots of water to thrive, but it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Be smart about how you water. Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening method suggests filling a bucket with water and letting the sun warm it before using it. Then pour a cup of water on each plant at the base. The warm water does not shock the plant’s roots and you have control of how much water you use. As a general rule, using an overhead sprinkler is wasteful because it rains water down on the leaves where it evaporates and only a small portion actually makes it to the plants roots.

Knowledge and Experience? As someone’s Grandma would say, “Poppycock!”

I have a lot of respect for horticulturists, agriculture professionals, botanists and the like, but you don’t need specialized vocational training to have a successful garden as the article suggests using a quote from Bobby Wilson, president of the American Community Gardening Association. According to the article, he told CNN the Chia-pet generation isn’t ready for the Blue Ribbon Prize just yet.

“Many of the people that want to get into the gardening and greening movement right here have never gained the skills,” he said. “Many of them came up in an era where there was no vocational education, so there was no need to learn anything about horticulture or agriculture.”

I really hope that this quote was taken out of context.

Free information and help is yours for the taking…

There is a wealth of information out there. Start at the library for free books. Read the back of seed packets, which have basic growing information and directions. Ask your local extension for advise. Here’s a link to a list of each extension service in the United States. http://www.ediblegardenlandscaping.com/extensionlist

Ask other gardeners in your area what works best for them. Gardeners love to share their knowledge and help others learn from their mistakes. Even if you don’t know anyone near you who gardens, there is an amazing amount of knowledge on the Internet. In addition to the articles and information on my website http://www.ediblegardenlandscaping.com here are just a few other helpful resources:

Joe Lamp'l from the DIY Network has been blogging about how to plant a victory garden for $25 or less: http://joegardener.typepad.com/dailycompost

Mel Bartholomew’s Square Food Gardening Site at www.squarefootgardening.com/

The Growing Food Guide blog at www.growingfoodguide.com/

Great information about victory gardens and growing your own at www.redwhiteandgrew.com/

Better Homes & Gardens gardening information online at www.bhg.com/gardening/

Mother Earth News’ website: www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening.aspx

And, a blog for urban gardeners: http://urbangardencasual.com/

As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback!