Time and again, I've heard this comment,
"I'd love to have a garden. Grandma always had a big vegetable garden, but I never learned."
Think of this as your second chance.
An anaheim pepper growing indoors. Vegetables inside... it is possible! But that's a subject for another time.
The Northside Guerilla Farmer teaches you what you need to know to get growing. These are the steps to a successful veggie garden:
- planning
- preparing
- planting
- tending
- harvesting, serving & preserving
Consultation
We meet at your garden site. We talk about your goals (tomatoes for summer salads, or tomatoes for sauce all winter?) and the challenges you and your garden face (time limitations? deer problems? soil type?). We talk about what you can and cannot grow in your space ( 'Southern' veggies will grow). You'll ask me questions, and I will ask you more.
Planning
Based on what we learn during the consultation, I will develop a plan, with as much detail as you need to execute it. The plan may include
- lists of suggested veggies & varieties,
- sketches,
- planting schedules,
- space/veggie allocations (this is what keeps you from having too many cucumbers and not enough beans),
- suggestions on how to keep track of what you did this year so you can improve next year.
Here are two sketches of the plan for two clients' gardens.
Most importantly, the plan includes explanations! The Northside Guerilla Farmer thinks understanding = learning.
Preparing
"There is no crime in plagiarizing nature's ways."
Unfortunately, your garden site may not be in a state of nature. We need to do some prep work to return the soil to a more productive state. We'll work together to --
- loosen up the soil,
- incorporate some organic matter (composted manure),
- solve drainage issues, and to
- visualize the plan and adjust if necessary.
It's all in the planning and prep work. Except...
Planting
Sounds simple, and it is. But there are a few tricks to make your seeds-- and garden-- produce more efficiently. The information on a seed packet is a start, but, like "lather, rinse, repeat" shampoo instructions, are designed to sell something (repeat? please!).
TIP: Thinning instructions for collards and other greens are just silly. Thinning instructions for winter squash are serious. Do you know why?
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"Two things cannot be in one place.
Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow"
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden.
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Tending
The Northside Guerilla Farmer is in the business of accelerating your gardening learning curve! I'll stop by at critical times throughout the growing season to identify potential problems and teach you how to keep them from getting out of hand. I'll share my resources with you.
TIP: Morning coffee stroll = fewer problems. (+ it's a great way to start your day!)
Harvest, Serve, & Preserve
Harvesting... is fun! You probably won't need my help (but if you do, call).
Serving... how many ways can you serve eggplant? zucchini? blackeyed peas? I'd be remiss if the Northside Guerilla Farmer's services stopped at harvest time. One of your motivations for having a garden was eating tastier veggies. Thanks to my husband (compiler of The Big Food Manual), and my daughter (professional cook and author of the Flourish in the Kitchen and Thrive in the World blog), and my other daughter (a vegan baker) I've got you covered with literally close to 1000 tested & tasted recipes. Variety is the spice.
Preserving... You could be serving spaghetti with homemade sause in January, even if you only had a few tomato plants in pots. Really! Freezing, canning, pickling, it's so easy Grandma knew how. Shouldn't you? I hope Grandma can teach you, but if not, I can.
