What a difference a year makes (before & after)...

I realized several years ago that I wanted to have a more sustainable lifestyle, that is part of why we decoded to move and start our farmette. So I started to learn about gardening. I worked with a combination of "Back to Eden" and "Square Foot Gardening".
"Back to Eden" is a film that I go back and watch over and over, It is an hour and 45 minutes long, but I derive a sense of peace each time I watch the film. This is how I prepared the ground for our garden. 
Living in Northern Virginia our soil is heavy with red clay. This is a picture of what our soil normally looks like & a picture of soil from my garden today after one year of preparing the soil by the Back to Eden method.                    

                                                                                                            
 Pretty amazing, right? Note the worm...I have worms all over my garden..The earthworms help increase the fertility of your soil. They burrow through the soil ingesting and digesting the unbroken down organic material that is in the soil.Their waste (worm poo) provide vital nutrients for the soil. As they move through the earth it creates an aeration effect, which helps surface water penetrate further into the soil. 
This is so simple to do & more importantly very easy to maintain. I simply use a rake occasionally to uproot whatever weeds may pop up.

The "Square Foot Gardening" method, helps maximize the spacing of your planting as opposed to traditional rows. 

I got my garden started this year in early May & am so excited to see my plants starting to poke their little heads up out of the ground. For the seeds, I have chosen to use only non-hybrid and non-GMO seeds. While there are several great companies out there, I have chosen to use Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which was recommended to me.

Now the why? I feel it is really important to practice your skills before you have to use them. I hadn't really gardened before, so I am learning as I go. I have also learned how to can the food from my garden. This way I will have hands on knowledge BEFORE I really need to depend on gardening. Gardening gives you power of knowing what you eat and where it comes from and everything tastes so much better. Plus, I have learned I really enjoy this as a past time.
I encourage you to start your garden if you haven't tried it yet. Now, take the time to watch the "Back to Eden" film. it is well worth your time. 

What I do here is simply share our journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Gramma Teaches community on Facebook. Items I am using this week and books I am reading...

 

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