It's way to early for gardening you say? Physically yes, snowy drifts are telling me your right. No I don't have plants ready to plop in the ground but it is time to start seed so in a few months they will be ready. WHAT months, yep it's Utah I can't plant most plants until late April early May. Nonetheless my plants will be healthy and quite large by the time I plant them.
I have been reading every permaculture, food forest, and homesteading gardening books I can get a hold of. There are quite a few REALLY really good ones. Most I got from my local library and and having a hard time parting with them. Too much information to let go of. Well I suppose since I have more than 20 sticky notes in several it's time to buy them.
I want a successful sustainable way to garden here in the Salt Lake Valley. That is what lead me to permaculture, food forests and perennial vegetables being the main topics I am researching.
Who knew how completely complex it would be to plan and plant? Coming from an immature ecosystem, mostly the savannah and prairie succession. To planning out an early succession food forest. Planning what will happen and how will my landscape adapt and change when it matures, going into mid succession. Making sure there are general and specialist nectary plants blooming from early spring to late fall. Ouch it makes my head hurt.
For every plant there are so many things to consider; from typical gardening light needs, soil preferances, USDA zone tolerances, root structures, benefits to other plants/animals and people and so much more.
I have ALL the seeds from the plants that I can plant from seed with somewhat ease bought. I have the shelving and lights to be set up this week in the basement to start the plants now. I'll post pics when my husband helps me get the very heavy shelves downstairs.
I also have a worm farm, a composter and a little help from mini manure machines I'm not at liberty to share what they are but they work great for our garden. No it's not our kids ha that's funny and gross. Every state, city and neighborhood has rules for pets, bees and such. Someday in the next few years we will add a beehive, they are legal here in Utah, and more so in our city. Also my HOA (Home Owners Association) did not outlaw them, although I'm sure they would if they thought about it.
Here is my HOA rant. It seems everything beneficial to our garden is a radical idea to an HOA. A worm farm, pets like rabbits or a beehive are frowned upon or outright illegal. I'm suppose to get approval from a committee before I plant a plant - even in my backyard. Before I get pets, before I put a structure up like my kids swingset in the backyard or a fence I am suppose to get written permission from (hold your breath) my HOA. My HOA fee gives me water both culinary and secondary. The secondary water the city has warned us, in writing - if you play in the water or drink it that you can get diarrhea for life. Seriously? Use it to water my food plants? No way. Use it to water the grass. Well in a few years I'll say what grass but right now I'm still converting my yard so, as bad as it is I do use it for that.
My neighborhood is gated and they spray chemicals like weed killer and fertilizer on our grass spring, summer and fall and mow our lawns. I've had them stop spraying and mowing so I can control what goes in my garden, what gets on our food crops. Which now is, well, every shrub, flower, plant, vine and tree in our side and back yard. Next year it will include our front yard. (with approval from our HOA of course ha!)
Anyways. I will print my list of annual plants next time and photo's of my basement plant setup.
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