Why am I creating this blog?

Nearly every time I mention to some one I  have a garden, or that I  was working in the garden, I get the same questions... What are you growing? How do you grow that? How big is your garden? etc.

I'm creating this blog to answer those questions.

I'll start by making something clear, I'm not a botanist, I'm not a master gardener, I'm not even always successful in my gardening efforts.  This will serve as a place to document success, and failure, to explain how I got the success, and how/if I can learn from the failure.

This will also be a place to talk about how I grow what I grow, what tools I use, what methods and strategies.

I'm not an organic gardener, but I'm also slow to reach for the round up (though once it's in hand watch out weeds!)

This blog may also come to serve as a place for things less garden based and more kitchen based... the two are linked on my property, as what is grown outside, is prepared and eaten in the kitchen (or some times in the yard while harvesting.)

In the kitchen we preserve the food, can it, dehydrate it, freeze it, and maybe some day if this blog ever generates revenue freeze dry it...

So, I guess I'll get started with some basic tenants I try to follow when growing food.

1. Don't grow more than you can eat.  Giving away food is fine if you have a bumper crop, but planning for a bumper crop just to give it away means you could be growing something else you could be eating in the same space, plan to grow what you can eat, and if it's something you can process and eat all year long all the better.
2. Food not grass.  Grass is great for somethings... and if you use your yard for walking, or playing, or in the case of my dog, defecating, then grass is a fine choice.  However, if you are into eating, as most humans I met tend to do, then food trumps grass.
3. Do what works, not what is green or natural.  I prefer natural solutions, but I've no issue with synthetic ones either... I do what works.
4. Do what is easy, because that will work than failing to do something that is hard.  If you have multiple choices (you will) take the path that best suits what you  are actually willing to do... if you  can't weed a garden once a week, then plant in a way to avoid that, if you can't harvest in the summer/fall every couple of days, then don't plant things that need to be harvested regularly... the best garden is the one that works for how you live.
5. I can only ever speak for myself... my soil is different from yours, my hardiness zone is different from yours, and my plants may grow different from yours.

So with that I'm going to start writing up some articles on a "when ever I feel like it" basis... 

I plan to end each one with what I hope to write about next, but no promises.  This is more to keep me on task than a real teaser of what is to come.
Anyhow next article I hope to be on mulch, that stuff is awesome.