Growing your own Food

Some Reasons To Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables

Not long ago I decided to join people returning to the old tradition of growing their own produce. Now based on the acres necessary and the suburban area I find myself living in I could never hope to accomplish what my southern relative once was able to do, namely, self-sufficiently producing all their own fruit and vegetables, even preserving some of their fruit crop with the process called canning so that even out of season fruits could sometime still be had. I decided to restrict my indoor/outdoor farming to a small mobile herb patch land. I plan to maintain an herb garden so that I can also enjoy certain herbs, all year round. Why is growing our own food becoming popular again, and why should you start your own food garden? Well here are a few things to think about.

Let's do this!

It's sometimes hard to believe that having your own vegetable patch or fruit garden was once commonplace but fell out of favor as the food industry grew more commercial and supermarkets began to take charge. More recently, however, more and more people (myself included) have started to explore growing their own produce again. So the following are some reasons why you might want to join us and even think about starting your own kitchen garden.

You can't beat the freshness

To me, fruits and vegetables always taste better when eaten as soon as possible after picking. You can't beat the freshness or all of the health benefits that come from fresh fruit. The fruit from supermarkets is often picked well before it is properly ripe, to extend shelf life, and this usually has an impact on flavor. Growing your own fruits and veggies lets you taste the freshest possible produce as it's meant to taste.

You can't beat the Quality

Commercially grown crops are often selected for their uniform appearance and high yields rather than for quality and taste. Growing your own produce lets you concentrate on the quality rather than the economic quantity.

What about the price?

A lot of supermarket fresh produce is incredibly overpriced, in spite of their advertising claims. Raising your own produce from a seed is about as inexpensive as you can get, even the small plants you buy at the nursery are likely to provide you with better food at a lower cost. With a lot of plants, you can use the seeds from one growing season to provide you with plants for the next in a self-sustaining cycle making you total cost only your time and effort to keep going.

Provenance

With chemical pesticides and GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms), from genetically engineered food more and more people have concerns about how our food is produced. Growing your own vegetable patch means you know exactly where your food is from and how it was grown.

Expand your produce variety

Supermarkets tend to concentrate on only the most profitable and easy to sell fruits and vegetable even though there are literally thousands of different varieties of fruit and vegetables to choose from to grow in your garden. For as long as I can remember fruit from the supermarket has always been limited to a few select varieties of apple, for example, rather than the hundreds of traditional kinds that exist. You pick the varieties you like most when you grow your own herbs and produce, and experiment to find new ones you'll rarely see in the supermarket.

The only downside to all of the above is that it takes time and effort. I had to overcome the thought that I might not have the time to spare, and starting small with a few herb plants on my windowsill, my little herb farm has grown to a multi-mini-acres spread that laid end-to-end would extend almost to the end of my kitchen table. My plants are healthy and still growing. Growing your own produce can be easier than you think and give you a taste of reconnecting to the earth by growing your own lemons, peppers, apples or corn and like me; the experience just might be enough to hook you into growing your own food for life! 

Coffee Medicine

I have enjoyed a good cup of coffee in the morning for a long time, in college and through my working career, coffee had been a very good bone warmer in my time spent out on the water boating on a cold morning or a stormy night. I have always looked at the number one hot beverage on earth, as far as I'm concerned, as the feel-good, soul-warming drink it was. Not once did I ever consider any health effects coffee might have, aside from keeping me from falling asleep when I was doing something that needed all of my attention like piloting or driving. Recently I have begun to learn about some of the health benefits of caffeine some of which make me feel really good about my coffee connection, however, a word of caution.

Like any drug pharmaceutical or fresh off the tree, there are side-effects so before I get too deep into the positive health effects associated with coffee, let me start by saying that coffee seems to work it's health magic because it affects heartbeat, breathing, and mood to mention a few. If you suffer from high blood pressure coffee might pose a problem, on the other hand, if you suffer from low blood pressure coffee might provide some relief from low blood pressure. So as always when you read one of my articles keep in mind that I am usually expressing what works best for me. You might have to do some experimentation, maybe even consult with your own doctor before achieving the same result. I was already a long time coffee user when I first learned of some of the negative effects caffeine could have on blood pressure, in my way of thinking because I was already a coffee user the negative effects I experienced were not as severe as they might have been for a first-time coffee user.

To date, all of the physical effects I have experienced from coffee have been positive health-wise. Depending on where your health conditions and concerns might fall along the coffee pros and con link here are a few of the more positive effects drinking coffee can have. Coffee can boost your brain power, especially in the morning, some mornings just the smell of coffee can jumpstart my brain. I have read that coffee can also relieve a headache, I have some friends and a daughter that swears to the pain-relieving effect of coffee. I believe that for those show use coffee on a regular basis (like me) a headache is simply prevented from forming. I did, however, go without coffee long enough to bring on a headache and once a headache started, drinking coffee did not help.

I'll have to try another coffee fast, and see what happens for a personal research followup; a side note all of coffee's positive benefit seems to be wiped out if I drink coffee on an empty stomach so I try to include coffee with breakfast. In many cases coffee is not only good for the immune system, it actually strengthens the immune system and is good for the liver, heart and digestive system. From what I have read most coffee drinkers can maintain a healthy weight because coffee suppresses the appetite and increases hormone levels in the body, caffeine also promotes the bodies production of dopamine and serotonin considered contributing factors in the low suicide rate amongst coffee drinkers.

Add in the fact that during most mornings I have long noticed an improvement in my short-term memory, my attention span, and concentration, on the days I start off with coffee. For those of you who are on the fence when it comes to including coffee in your day, I would have to say that the pluses (the positives) outweigh the negatives when it comes to whether or not to give coffee a try if you haven's already. The brewed coffee types are a little better than the instant coffee variety mainly because of the chemical preservative added to some instant coffees.

Vinegar and Honey

These two kitchen groceries, Apple Cider Vinegar, and pure Honey make a great health food combination when mixed with a cup of warm purified water, add a little lemon juice to the mix and you become practically bullet proof. Well not really, let me just say that the majority of people who use this combination of ingredients do experience some positive health effects. I guess the thing to keep in mind is that everyone's body chemistry is made a little different by their diet, the type over-the-counter, or prescription medications they use. I would guess that 80% of the people who use this apple cider vinegar, honey, and purified water combination will realize a benefit from it. What are the benefits?

Let me say this before I say that, if you're a breastfeeding mom, or pregnant you should consult with your doctor before trying any of my herbal suggestions. The same would be true for a prescription drug user, drug user, and people suffering from chronic medical conditions like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. There are some cases where herbs may interfere with your medication and could cause undesired side effects. My goal is to describe the effects, positive and negative, that herbs used by me for medication have had on me, and to let you know that my results may not be the same for everyone who reads about them here or over on my Facebook location.

The dose of the concoction (apple cider vinegar and honey) I have used for the past year is one teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and one teaspoon of raw honey added an 8 oz. cup of purified room temperature or warm water. Taken at night I have seen a glucose level drop of three to five percent by the next morning. The combination apple cider vinegar, honey, in warm purified water is good at regulating the amount of sodium in the blood and helps normalize blood pressure due to the high amount of potassium in both apple cider vinegar and honey, making this blend of nature a good blood pressure equalizer.

More than a year ago I started using apple cider vinegar and honey mixed into a cup of purified water each morning, at least an hour before I ate anything else and over a four or five week period lost two pounds; and that was without the exercise routine I have today. From time to time I get fancy with my apple cider vinegar, honey, and water mix adding a slice of ginger root, or some lemon juice. The combination of apple cider vinegar, honey, and purified water is said to have way more application than just the ones I use it for, the combo is good for your gut and anything good for your gut is good for your skin and overall health in general. I honestly have noticed an improvement in my skin health over the past year from using this combination of ingredients.

Some other examples of the beneficial effect from combining apple cider vinegar, honey, and water is an easing of heartburn, a decrease in bad cholesterol levels, the removal of acid in the body that can lead to a reduction of pain in the joints. It's an energy booster, and very effective against constipation. So far I have only monitored the blood pressure related benefit of this powerful natures mix but it's nice to know that all of the other bodily points of interest listed above are covered in the regular use of the apple cider vinegar, honey, and purified water blend. It has become my morning and sometimes evening tea.

I'm not sure if you can label the combination of apple cider vinegar and honey with a cup of purified water a panacea (cure-all) but this combination of nature's juices certainly has the potential of curing a lot. Gargling with one quarter-cup of apple cider vinegar in warm water, once an hour, at the first sign of a sore throat provides a natural remedy for a sore throat. When bacteria is the cause of experiences diarrhea try sipping some apple cider vinegar and water tea. Because the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar stops the growth of bacteria and the potassium it contains thins mucus just a teaspoon full in a cup of water can drain your sinus, and clear a stuffy nose.

I'm just happy with my decrease in glucose level, and weight loss since I started using this natural drink mix, and while I haven't had the chance to try all of the healing qualities of my apple cider vinegar honey and water solution, I can tell you this though, if the majority of remedies attributed to this combination of healthy ingredients turn out to be true, my medicine cabinet is going to have a lot fewer over the counter medicine bottles.

Growing peppers

Peppers have sprouted and are busy growing in the small planters being nursed along until they begin to produce fruit, or in this case, peppers. I am looking forward to a much larger yield this year because of a little growing secret I ignored last year. I ignored this little growing secret because in my rush to plant, and grow, thinking at the time that all I needed were some seeds and good potting soil. So what is the growing secret, Growth Pellets!

My last years' pepper growing season about fifty percent of the seeds I planted actually survived the sprouting process, and about 10% actually made it to the pepper producing stage. As a result, my Bell Pepper crop was very small and none of the plants made it through the winter months. This growing season because of the growth pellets I used I am closer to 100% of the seed sprouts making it to maturity and that has me smiling.

I found these Jiffy Pellet Refills at my local Home Depot, the pellets I originally got started with this growing season came with the Burpee Self-Watering seed-string kit and while the pellets looked different the results were the same when it came to the amount of sprout growth I see this season.

Preparing your garden/planters

One of the first steps in preparing for this year's planting season is preparing the land for planting. In my case, the land equals all of my patio planters and the soil in them. Plants grow best in soil that contains the vital nutrients they need to sprout, develop, and grow big enough to produce fruit, vegetables, or flowers. For me this involves preparing my potting soil, cleaning up the leaves and stems-left-overs from last year's harvest, and preparing the potting soil. Last year potting soil preparation was not on my list, seeds went straight into the potting soil mix distributed straight into the tiny cups on my five plant starter trays, so I decided to give my potting soil some preparation this year to see if I can get a better yield this time round. Last year only about fifty-percent of the pepper seeds I planted grew to healthy sprout that went on to be placed in their adult plant pots.

I plan to add some extra nutrients to those already present in my potting soil, things like a little Epson salt, cinnamon, worm casting, and vermiculite. The worm castings for a little extra nutrient, the cinnamon and Epson salt to protect against fungus and the vermiculite to improve the water retaining property of my starter soil mix. When all of the above is complete I will sew my seeds and wait for them to sprout. This year, just like last year I will be planting peppers, and also finding a space for the new grape vine waiting to be dug in. I'm kind of making this stuff up as I go along and even though I was happy with my small patio harvest last year my hope is that this year more than fifty-percent of my sprouts will make it to maturity. Peppers, tomatoes, and onions are on my planting list again this year; the grapes will add to the long established fruit trees already in my backyard and hopefully, eventually provide a nice red grape crop one day.

The thing I like about planting in a planter, or Pots, is that I can grow my plants inside, or outside and as long as I am careful not to select a planter/pot too large, or too heavy for what I call my mobile plants (plants I move inside during the winter, and outside in spring/summer), and of which I can only really say I used to have two, now there is only one so change plants, to plant when talking about my mobile pot. Added to other indoor plants I find that the greenery they provided indoors can at times be therapeutic, just ask me. I want to say something about some of the indoor plant choices that do well inside, but first, let me say this about planters or flower pots.

Most of my pots and planters are plastic and that is something I hope to change over time switching out my plastic pots and planters for non-plastic, most of which were gifts, or just happen to be around when the planting bug bit me. The reason is just about all of the other planters and flower pots, that are not plastic, do a better job of keeping my potted plant soil from becoming too soggy by helping with the absorption of moisture and preventing root rot. Black plastic being the worst offender that can tend to overheat plants when placed in direct sunlight. Potted plants or plants in planters need to have good drainage make sure your pot or planter has sufficient drainage holes on the bottom for the size of pot you select.

Okay now about those choices of plants that do well inside cherry tomatoes, salad greens, lettuce, and herbs like rosemary and oregano are all inside plant species that grow well indoors. They will need four or five hours of sunlight so a window to the outside world will be necessary. Fill the container as close to top as you can to make sure the roots have plenty of room to grow, cover about and 1/8" inches of your potting soil, tend to them keeping the soil moist and in a few weeks say hello to your new baby sprouts.

I checked with my local nursery and verified that trying to grow grapes inside would not be a good idea or else my house may end up looking like a scene from the movie Jumanji, grape vines like room to spread out, everywhere! A little too much greenery for me. Just remember if you don't have backyard garden space remember your balcony, kitchen windowsill or bedroom will do when it comes to growing your own vegetable garden in a container(s).  Clay soil has a tendency to shrink away from the sides of the pot and drains poorly, and the broken pottery doesn't seem to help the water drainage either when I used clay soil. Blending in some sand, and increasing the organic material in my potting soil mix worked best for the proper drainage in my planters and pots.

Cinnamon, the medicine

Cinnamon has been part of my diet since I can remember, from cinnamon suckers to cinnamon rolls the word cinnamon has always been related to a flavor I enjoy. Not until recently, however, I have given any attention to the health benefits of cinnamon. One of the things I enjoy is reading about different food medicine benefits like this, finding some way to put them to the test, then sharing the results be they, positive, or negative. Since I started using cinnamon for its health benefits I have noticed a drop in my blood pressure since I started using my cinnamon and honey concoction, a fact that even presented some surprise to my doctor during a most recent physical exam.

As I mentioned I have always enjoyed the taste of cinnamon and now I seem to be enjoying a health-related positive effect of cinnamon too. Personal discoveries by me lately with regard to the medicinal use of cinnamon has me singing the praises of this really neat food medicine. To me, cinnamon is the perfect combination of something that tastes good and is good for you. Cinnamon suckers may be stretching the good-for-you thing a little bit and maybe the cinnamon roll but cinnamon tea, along with cinnamon and honey are some of the ways I have added cinnamon to my diet. I've also gained an entirely different appreciation for the cinnamon I find in cookies, cake, apple pie, apple turnovers or my morning oatmeal.

I also realize that not everyone may enjoy the taste of cinnamon but my hope is that after reading this even a cinnamon hater will be at least willing to try cinnamon for some of the really neat medical properties this famous tree bark possess. If I had a planter big enough, you can bet I would be trying to grow me some cinnamon too because in my opinion cinnamon is one of the best food medicines a person can add to their diet, and while I have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing the pain relieving properties of ground cinnamon some studies have shown that cinnamon is a better pain reliever than Ibuprofen.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to point out this word of caution, some of the herbal medicine publications I read caution to be careful where herbal and pharmaceutical medicines meet. Therefore I will echo this same caution. If you are taking a doctor prescribed medication, you might want to check with your doctor, to see if taking a herbal medication on a regular basis would be considered safe to use with your doctor prescribed meds. There are several Herbal PDR online that should be helpful understanding the different effects some herbs might have on you.

The use of cinnamon has shown positive results and worked well against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, meningitis, brain tumors, and multiple sclerosis. Cinnamon can help balance hormones which can aid fertility for couples who might be experiencing difficulty starting or add to their family.  Cinnamon also contains many of the nutrients the human body needs on a daily basis like manganese, iron, calcium and fiber, cinnamon may even reduce the proliferation of cancer cells.

Until now I never really looked at this natural ingredient for all of its wonderful healing properties, a natural medicine that taste good in my opinion. I know I will not be able to grow all of the herbs, fruits, and veggies that I want or need in my small garden but because of cinnamon's ability to act as a natural food preservative,  reduce the pain of arthritis, and menstrual cramps, take on bad cholesterol, and regulate blood sugar, cinnamon will definitely be part of my kitchen medicine cabinet from now on.

In the Memory of my Cantaloupe plant.

garden planters

The herbal garden I started this past summer is off to a good start, several of my plants (peppers) sprouted and out-grew their respective temporary starter cups ending up in their very own flow pot. Currently, my experimental home-grown food specimens are officially still on winter break, but I plan to pick up where I left off now that spring is here again. Once my plants reach their flower pot or planter stage I will continue the fertilizing routine from this past planting season, where I feed them on diet of Fish Fertilizer, once ever week or so, with an occasional sprinkling of Epson Salt for potassium.

If these first few seedlings can grow, with me as their farmer, then I will plant more in the hopes of one day having an onion, peppers, and garlic harvest good enough to last me throughout the winter months. This past year's lesson, for me, was all about pesticides because of my misuse of an insecticide that cost me a perfectly healthy cantaloupe plant. When I went to a real planting pro (my neighbor) who often shares out of her garden with me, to find out how their garden grew such a nice variety of different fruits and veggies even though I hardly ever saw her using any kind of pesticide.

To my surprise, she admitted that she does on occasion use pesticides but vert sparingly, and very directed, meaning she didn't wholesale spray all of her plants just to treat one ailing plant (the way I did). The pesticide she chose to use was always carefully selected, and used. She also went on to explain to me how she had practically engineered her planting space (she grew her plants in pots the way I did) so that there were no heavy dependents on pesticides.

She told me that she planted things in her garden that would attract the kind of insects that ate the plant-eating pest. Which of course went way over my head when it came to understanding what she meant. She informed me that my scorched-earth policy, of wipe 'em all out, wasn't really the best plan either since most pesticides were indiscriminate in their bug-killing ability. She said that in her garden she worked for more of a natural balance that she could occasionally tip in her garden's favor so that the good bugs, always outnumbered the bad. An early day lesson learned, for her, happened when she used so much insecticide to kill the pest, her plants were no longer eatable.

To make matters worse it seems that she had also misidentified the plant-eating pest, sorry I didn't ask her which one, to me a bug, was a bug, so I thought to myself great! Now I have to be an Entomologist too!? The good news is no, you don't need to be an expert in that branch of insect zoology. I found that some of the people at my local nursery could be very helpful when it came to identifying the flying and crawling creatures that also enjoy my plants. You will need to capture one of them, though, at least that's the way I did it. Showing someone at a nursery, or perhaps even a Home Depot or Orchards Garden Supply store should allow them to help you select just the right insecticide for your needs.

For sure the lessons I have learned over this past growing season will come in handy with this years back porch garden crop. I may even try planting cantaloupe again this year, and this year, the cantaloupe will make it!