Gardening

Fresh fruits , vegetables and herbs, who doesn't like them. Why not grow them yourself and really know what you are eating and how it made its way to your table.
I believe the purpose for growing a garden has really changed over the last few decade from a necessity to a hobby. Most people who lived in rural ares of the country had no option but to grow a garden or risk starvation. Gardens were also a means of income for some family's which helped them purchase things like sugar, flour , coffee or other staples that they could not produce themselves. Why have we departed from those ways?? I think we are now a world of time versus money, I will confess that I fall into this category. Today people will sacrifice quality for time which equates to more money spent for a lesser product. Is this good for us? I don't really think so for many reasons.
Why not grow your own....
If we were to take a poll of why people don't grow a garden I have a feeling the typical answers would be time, space and knowledge. I am now of the belief that none of the 3 are really a valid argument.
Time-  How much time does it really take to grow things?? Well the items you are growing take time but your actual input of time can be as intensive as you want it to be. Most items you grow actually require minimal time once you plan them with the least amount of time devoted to fruit trees. If you really want to minimize time , you can automate your watering and even feeding of the plants with control systems that are readily available.
Space- Again this is what you want to make of it. You don't have to be a homeowner with 40 acres of land in order to grow wonderful edibles.You can grow vegetable in small containers on a balcony or porch. You can grow herbs on a window sill in your kitchen. You can grow fruit trees by your living room window. There are lots of options to go along with lots of excuses. One of the more interesting methods I have seen lately is growing things on vertical surfaces. This really makes for space saving grow areas.
Knowledge-  All I will say is that the Internet is your friend. If you don't want to go down that path, reach out to your local extension office and they can send you all kinds of free information on growing just about anything.
With all that I have said everyone should be growing something at home they can eat. Start small and enjoy. This topic will lead into another subject I will address soon which is sharing.....    -Jeff