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.

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.

This is the time of year when I can’t sit still. I catch a glorious hint of warmth on a passing breeze, and I get all a-flutter with anticipation of the coming season, when all becomes alive and green again. Seed catalogs have started to come with regularity (one of the few guilty pleasures I still allow myself in my attempts to consume less paper-printed materials) and I know that in a matter of weeks – days, really – I’ll be basking in a stray ray of sunshine, and up to my elbows in rich, life-supporting dirt!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I hate February or anything, but sometimes, like today, for instance, it just feels like February exists only to slow me down from getting on in to March and April. I am glad there are only 28 days in this month. If it was longer it really would be insufferable. Just had to say it. I know you were thinking it, too.

There are actually two different movements going on in the organic food world.  One is centered on large organic growers that deliver food stuff to both national and local organic grocery stores, while the other is centered on local organic farms and sustainable organic growing that includes growing in your own yard.  You cannot guarantee sustainability when food is coming from the outside in.  However, foods grown in neighborhood and local farms are very sustainable and have worked for centuries.  One of my favorite ways of growing food is with a Rion 8 x 12 Hobby Greenhouse as it fits into most backyards and comes complete.

It is extremely important to find a greenhouse kit that fits both your yard and lifestyle.  If you need some automation, you can get it thought it will cost you a little bit more.  The great thing about Rion Greenhouses is they have several types to choose from that come with packaged deals so they are as complete as you want them to be.  The hardest thing about greenhouses is you normally don’t purchase one that is large enough the first time so make sure you don’t short change yourself in size.