
My Garden Journey
My gardening journey began with a Christmas present from my mom: an Aerogarden. I had wanted to get into growing fruits and vegetables already, and had even tried it a couple of times. But, it was the Aerogarden that got me hooked. It was so fun growing lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and more on my kitchen counter.
My Aerogarden Bounty Mix of kales, lettuces, and arugula Tomatoes and peppers
After a winter of growing in the Aerogarden, I stepped up and bought a small greenhouse. Inside I made a homemade hydroponic system capable of growing larger plants.
I started with the greenhouse on my back deck Built a homemade hydroponic system It turned into a jungle
The next year, my gracious wife allowed me to convert our side yard into a container garden.
Covered the grass with fabric then laid stones Ordered a few cubic yards of dirt and compost Filled the fabric containers I had a lot of containers After I planted out the containers I made a drip irrigation system to water them
Finally, I converted the side yard into a 300 square foot in-ground garden. I relocated my greenhouse here as well.
Removed some shrubs to make room for the greenhouse We pulled up the old brick path Slowly I pulled up the fabric and poured out the containers I then had a blank canvas I spread out the old soil Laid pathways that would stand up to our heavy winter rains Finally, the garden was ready! Here it is in its first year Happy farmer 🙂
In addition to my main garden, I have a fair amount of containers on my deck that I use for some lettuces and herbs. I’m also working on another, smaller garden, which I’ll post about when it’s ready.
All along my journey, I have been focused on learning new techniques to maximize food production. I’ve watched countless hours of YouTube videos and have read quite a few articles and a handful of books. I would generally consider myself an organic gardener as I don’t use pesticides or chemically derived fertilizers. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal of providing year round produce for my family. Onward!