Almost once a week I get a link sent to me to watch a documentary about our food source. If you have ever watched any of these then you know there are some very disturbing issues with the way our food is delivered to us in regard to what we are really getting. While we seem to think this is mostly about cows, chickens and pigs and the way they are treated to how they are being fattened up before slaughter, it also has to do with the chemicals used on our fruits and vegetables.

So with this in mind, you may want to start thinking of ways to grow at least some of your own food and become your own food source. Knowing that you can accomplish this with the help of raised beds and small greenhouses makes it a little easier than plowing up half your lawn! You will still need to watch the type of soil you use as well as the seeds you get so you get an organic finished product. Also know that having cedar (non-treated) is also the best type of raised bed to buy.

I have concluded that using pretty planters in and around your outdoor areas is the easiest way to maintain the plants as well as to arrange different settings and parties. I used to dig flowerbeds right off the patio and front porch and struggle with fining just the right plants that wouldn’t die to come in for the right season and I never could get the hang of it. Three years ago I just gave up and extended the area with gravel in the back and a lovely mulch path in the front.

After I did it, I liked everything with the exception of the color the plants could bring if done correctly. I had a friend who told me I should start investing in planters and containers to stagger and use on the new extended portion of the patio and porch as well as on the patio and porch. Ever since, I have been collecting a very eclectic mix of pots, raised beds, planters and plant stands as well as experimenting with potted plants. These have been far easier for me to maintain and they grow! It has been a lifesaver for my outdoor décor.

One of the best ways to create a great garden for small spaces is with containers. You can have one plant in a small container up to 54 plants in an urban raised bed that is designed especially to fit on your patio or deck in a space as small as 3ft x 4 ft. Plants are very resilient for the most part and grow just about anywhere they can root. I even had a volunteer tomato plant come up in a pile of leaves and weeds!

The one thing you have to watch out for more than anything else when growing in containers is watering. Pots and containers as well as raised beds tend to dry out more quickly than if you are planting in-ground. Because of this, most plants die or under produce due to lack of water. I have also seen people water them too much and that’s not good either. You need to monitor watering and make sure you are giving just the right amount. Find out sooner than later which planters drain through and which do not as this will make a huge difference as well.

Organic gardening is not easy. Pests and underfertilization are just two of the many problems facing a gardener wanting to go it greener. But I have discovered that organic vegetable gardening is much easier with the help of a cedar raised bed. I am thrilled with the yield I’m getting this year already, and it’s only May. Pests, many of which have a natural aversion to cedar, seemed to miss my tender young seedlings altogether this year.

And the number of plants I was able to pack in to this raised bed is nothing short of crowded. But lest you think that I didn’t provide enough space, relax: that’s another known fact about container and raised bed gardening; you can plant your plants much closer together, and thus maximize your space usage.

I think this is the first year I will have been able to say that I went organic all the way, from planting to harvest, and I do not believe it has been any harder than the usual in-ground gardening I do. In fact, I think it’s been easier so far! Updates to follow.

There are times when you not only want the very best but demand the best for you and your family.  One of those times should be when putting in an organic garden.  Organic gardening is when you use only natural substances to create the barrier, i.e. no treated woods or plastics; use only organically grown plants and stay with organic soils and insect controls.  One of the best I have ever used is the Original Urban Garden, which is made from cedar and can hold up to 54 plants in a very small comparative space.

Most people either build a large raised organic garden, not understanding that as soon as you use the treated lumber or timbers from your local hardware store it is no longer an organic bed, or purchase multiple raised beds normally 4ft x 4ft or 4ft x 8ft and place them together to create a large raised garden.  The Urban Gardens are raised garden bed kits that have 6 layers stacked in an area that is 4ft x 3ft and can be easily planted to hold what a larger raised bed will hold due to its unique design.  After using the Organic Urban Garden for one season, I tore out my 10ft x 16ft in ground garden and returned it to the kids out back.  I will never till that thing again and I have a real organic garden that gives me real organic vegetables and herbs!

60 Minutes had a great show on March 16, 2009 about Alice Waters who is considered the mother of the Slow Food Movement, which advocates organic, fresh and local foods.  What struck me about the piece more than the movement itself was the wonderful gardens this woman has put into place at her home, in front of City Hall and at a local school to teach children the beauty of eating and cooking this way.  This great food was mostly grown in a raised garden bed that could easily be done in almost any location that gets sun!

This is a fantastic example of container gardening at its best!  There were luscious lettuces and greens of all kinds intertwined with broccoli, squash and just about anything you can think of.  There wasn’t anything that could not be accomplished at least at some point during the year anywhere in the lower US.  Alice has done this nation a real service in pointing out how our food source is slowly killing us and we can all have a very positive impact if we will just take the time out to plant a garden.  It take time but is not hard.

Even if you have little space, you can have a crop or two of your favorite vegetables to nibble on throughout the spring and summer.  You can do that with containers.  Most vegetable crops will produce yield in a container as shallow as 12 inches deep and since crops have shallow root systems, they can thrive in planting bowls and shallow containers that are only 5 to 6 inches deep.  Of course if you are growing a vegetable that needs to be staked, like tomatoes, you will need a larger container for that purpose.

Here are just a couple of tips that will make your container growing easier. Make sure you have good drainage holes and it’s wise to place a layer of small rocks, though not so small they go through the holes, on the bottom so the holes don’t end up plugged up.  Also, pay attention to the soil.  Potting mixes tend to dry out more easily so if you mix a little compost and topsoil in with the potting mix this will help you retain water in the soil and prevent the plant from drying out quickly.  You can also move containers around to get optimum sun and shade as needed.  And the last thing is, have fun and plant what you like to eat!