Growing your way out

[jpak]

http://www.kjonline.com/news/133755173.html

In their quest to reduce their food bills, many Mainers look no farther than their own backyards.

With a little sweat equity, planting a vegetable garden can provide a healthful alternative to purchasing food at the grocery store.

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The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association said it has more than doubled the number of its classes teaching people to grow their own organic gardens. Seed companies continue to report brisk sales.
“There’s definitely an upward trend,” Doiron said of the number of home gardens.

<snip>

Doiron said he and his wife kept a tab of everything that came out of their 1,600-square-foot garden one growing season. “We found we saved over $2,000 by growing our own food,” Doiron said. Doiron said it is possible, even in Maine, to become self-sufficient — but that’s not the goal for most people.

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[Scuba]

1. K&R Growing veggies is not hard at all. n/t

[RC]

2. When you live in an apartment, growing enough to eat can be rather hard.

Nor everyone has access or time to tend a garden.

[NickB79]

3. On the plus side, community gardens are popping up everywhere

In the burbs of the Twin Cities where I live, they're putting them in at schools, parks, churches, etc.

When I lived in an apartment, I had THREE plots in two local gardens, both within 5 mi. of where I lived. The small amount of gas I burned in my car to visit them twice a week was more than paid for by the fresh produce I got. Usually I'd just make it part of my to-do list when I went out: go to library, weed garden, visit friends, buy groceries, etc.

And if that doesn't work, CSA's are becoming more and more common as well. I have friends telling me to start one of my own, now that I have a few acres of land and a huge garden and orchard :-)

[txlibdem]

4. Don't think horizontal, think VERTICAL

You actually do have plenty of space is your apartment to grow fresh vegetables... if you grow vertical. You can make your own with a few potable water-approved PVC pipes and a water pump... and several "daylight" bulbs or grow lights.

And since you're growing indoors -- you can grow year round!

It might not cover everything you'd like to eat but the basics can easily be grown.

Here's a site that describes how it works:
http://www.verticalgardendesign.com/how-it-works

I recommend you make your own! It will be cheaper and will fit your available space much better. The following are examples.
Other references;
http://www.plantsonwalls.com/FLORAFELT-Vertical-Garden-Planters-s/33.htm
http://www.plantsonwalls.com/?gclid=COvahu64tKwCFYtR7Aodh2DrHw
http://www.verticalgardendesign.com/projects
http://www.verticalgardendesign.com/how-it-works

With hydroponic growing techniques YOU DO NOT NEED ANY SOIL so it will be lighter, and less prone to disease (soil contains many bad microbes along with the good ones and nematodes, etc., that will attack the roots of your plants).

I've grown a little garden on my patio every spring/summer for 4 years now and I've only used Miracle Grow plant food. You can spend thousands on fancy hydroponic plant food... don't waste your money unless you know how to weed through the BS marketing hype and get to the nugget of truth.