Ah, I just got the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine and in this month's issue is all about gardening! In those big, glossy pages I see yummy fruits and veggies that I am so anxious to try my hand at this year! Lately the word "gardening" is associated with being green... save the planet and all that kind of stuff, but our grandparents and great-grandparents were gardening way before green was "in" and it was done FOR FOOD! It wasn't done as a hobby, but rather a necessity! You couldn't just run to the market and buy whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted! Check out this video....
My gardening methods are going to follow my approach of "vintage living in a modern world." I would like to have a very 1940's type garden in the sense of the types of heirloom seeds I use, but certainly not in the area of pesticides. I studied up on the approach of pest control and well, a 1942 "Basic Horticulture" book recommends that one use arsenate of lead to kill troublesome pests. Yeah, lead doesn't sound good to me either, but even if someone tried to be authentic and use it, they couldn't because it was banned as a pesticide by the US in 1988... besides it's known to be cancerous, and generally... not a good idea to use! ;) The 1940's-50's is when chemical agents began to be used not only by the professional farmer, but by home gardeners. Studies showed that household growers were actually using more of the chemicals than the professional farmers! Many hybrid plants and seeds began to "sprout" up. (sorry for the pun, lol!) At an age when they needed a quick harvest, science evolved and produced seeds to fit the need. (Although many times taste is greatly affected!) Previous generations spent the time collecting seeds from their own gardens to use again for the next year's garden, and even had seed swap parties! (sounds fun!!) As time went on, many gardeners decided not to collect seeds and rather just purchase the seeds from the garden store. As a result, many seed varieties are near extinct. Seed Savers is an online non-profit resource where you can purchase heirloom seeds!
Here is another interesting video that shows how gardening was in the 1940's:
There is a lot to think about when starting a garden, and the first thing I think about is soil. That is because I live outside of Atlanta, GA and our soil is red clay. While I could opt to have the soil tested to see whether or not lime or gypsum would help treat the soil, I've opted for keeping things simple. Raised beds. By building raised beds I can add in the type of soil that will best for growing fruits and veggies. Not to mention save me many frustrating hours trying to dig up rock hard land!
Raised beds can be made of different materials... rocks, landscape stones, cement block, pine board (which will last 2-3 years) or cedar/redwood (which will last 5yr.+). I'm not sure yet how I'm going to design the beds as I have been looking at so many beautiful layouts of raised beds.
I'm also aware that we have rabbits, deer, snakes and other critters that are anxiously awaiting me to plant a garden! So I'll have to design a barrier to prevent them from being able to eat all of my harvest! Our subdivision was built in a fairly rural area and once you exit, you see homes that have sheep, cattle, horses, etc. Well outside our subdivision is a good sized garden area and an elderly lady tends to it every year. Not with big power equipment, but rather with simple garden tools. I've watched her every year plant new crops and she really is an inspiration to me! Her garden is right off the road and she uses wire to keep the deer and other animals at bay. Apparently it works, and I might have to do that very thing!
Searching out seeds has been a slow work in progress. Here are a few great sites to check out:
A List of Lost Victory Garden Seeds
The Victory Seeds Company When you click on the description of the fruit/veggie seed it will tell you when it was produced.
Seed Savers They also sell transplants of tomato's, peppers, and ground cherries
A couple of other things to keep is mind is knowledge of your planting zone. My zone is 7B. Here is a planting zone map that is very specific in helping you find out what zone you are in.
It's also important to know when the last frost is because you can't begin planting outdoors until the last frost has past. Victory Seeds has a helpful chart that you can use to help find your last frost date also. Also remember it takes 6-7 weeks to grow container seedlings so now is the time to get started on those seedlings!
There's a lot of research yet to be done, but I'm hoping my garden will be a place for me to relax, spend time outdoors, and possibly have a sitting area that I can just reflect with a cup of tea and watch the plants grow in the early morning hours.... or enjoy an evening watching fireflies dance.
Off to read a few vintage seed catalogs~
Angela
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