How do I go about on planting/gardening my own produce, What's the best route to go, I love to garden but want to do it different this year, where I can grow a bit of vegetables and fruits for the the whole year and want to learn to jar but I'm clueless, any suggestions/
As for myself I chose what I wanted to grow and then went to ask.com and asked "How do you grow cantelope/green beans/etc".
Produce that's more acidic (like tomatoes) you can can by boiling but most other stuff you'll need to get a pressure canner to avoid them getting botulism and stuff.
Berries and peppers you can freeze to use anytime in the next year.
It is a lot of work but you can show off to your friends your awesome garden!
Find your closest University of Illinois Extension office. These are the people you go through to be in 4-H. it is a wonderful organization that teaches kids skills along with hands on activities. for boys and girls. its not just farm stuff. they have projects such as cooking, sewing, flower gardening, fruit/veg gardening, visual arts(drawing, sculpting, wire craft,paper craft, chalk art), childcare, photography, people to people(exploring different countries). It is a great opportunty for kids ages 6 to 18. But the extension office has lots of info for the everyday person. hunting, fishing schedules, camp stuff...just check it out.
I would join the DuPage Organic Gardening Club - the people there have tons of knowledge - they meet once a month. Contact Virginia if you want to join - ____@____.com - unfortunately they don't have a Web site. I also have a great book called Maria Rodale's organic gardening - it's really great. If you'd like to chat off forum about this, just drop me an e-mail. I've been growing and canning for years.
L.
I go to a garden group every week. We have discovered Square Foot Gardening and are SO excited about it. Its SUPER EASY for beginners, and the best part it you NEVER HAVE TO WEED. And you can grow a LOT in a very small spece. A 1 foot by 1 foot area can grow 3 different things between now and late fall, for example
The book is "The All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew.
I have been doing gardens forever and this is the easiest. Everything TOTALLY organic. The only investment is the mix you put in for your "soil" but you never have to buy it again.
Can't say enough about it!
Your best bet is to visit your local library and check out a few books about gardening organically, and canning. I'm sure there are books on both topics that would be a great help. Also, just do a google search online and you should come across a bunch of helpful information for a beginner to an expert. There are also messageboards at GardenWeb.com and Mothering.com that will have plenty of information as well. You can garden organically as fussy or as hands-off as you are comfortable with, so there's no one "correct" way to do it. But I've found some nice tips online and in books when I need some reference about something.
