Lesson two

Welcome To Natalie's Acres Farm

There is a disconnect among consumers and food production. We have met folks that are surprised by where food comes from and how it is produced before it enters the grocery stores for consumer purchase. We at Natalie's Acres Farm take agriculture serious. We aim to help those who would like to learn more about what we do.

Let's make a home garden

Spring is in the air and what better time then to start a garden. Many folks we have met set out to start a garden, quickly become overwhelmed and then never try again. Today's internet serves a wealth of information on gardening, at the same time the information provided is just too much and overwhelming.

Step 2 in making a garden is deciding what to grow. Before you can start planting, you need to know what you are going to grow. Let us give you some advice....START SMALL. We cannot emphasize this enough. We have all been there, the weather is getting warmer, in some regions a glimmer of sunshine in the air and 40 degrees and we are tossing on shorts and heading to the nearest garden center! In our drive to start that garden once-and-for-all, we buy every seed we can get our hands on, or buy up 30 different plants only to find that the seeds didn't germinate or the plants wilted and became dust because we didn't do our research and we tried to grow too much.

Healthy emerging plants need nutrient rich soil, sunshine and water to survive.

Wilted Seedlings Diseased Seedling in Poor Soil

Do not get discouraged. Someday you will have the biggest garden in the neighborhood with all the variety of plants you desire and people will come from all over to gaze at your hard work! The best advice I received from a master gardener when I started growing was this: "Before moving to the next challenge, get good at the first." Sound advice for a novice. Start with 1-5 plants, do your research on beginner friendly plants and get good at growing those before you go on to more plants.

How do I choose what to grow you ask? Here are some things to consider:

• Vegetables/Florals
• Climate
• Soil
• Nutrition
• Maintenance

Vegetables vs. Florals or both? Maybe you want to eat what you grow and maybe you want to look at what you grow and maybe both. This comes down to personal choice. But it is an important thing to consider. Choose beginner friendly florals such as marigolds or sunflowers and vegetables like tomatoes or cucumbers.

Marigolds Tomatoes

Climate - Did you ever think about what types of plants grow in different climates? It really is a thing. You most likely will not see passionfruit growing in Alaska because it enjoys hot humid climates to thrive, nor is it likely you will see a Boston Fern in Arizona. But hey, if you have a nice greenhouse you might be able to enjoy growing almost anything. Check out this link for plant hardiness zones and see what you can grow in your climate.

Soil - Soil is one of the most important parts of gardening. Many scientific factors are involved in what will or will not grow in different types of soil. Sandy, loam and clay are some examples of soil types. pH determines the acidity level in soil. Radish, Blueberries and Potatoes like acidic soil where Beets, Cabbage and Beans need a less acidic soil. Regardless of your soil type, in ground or in pots it is important to know what you have before trying to grown in it. Check out the interesting read on determining your soil type. Link Below.

Nutrition - When we talk about nutrition, we are referring to the nutrients in soil that allow different plants to grow. The three main nutrients in soil are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus(P) and Potassium(K). It is important to know what nutrients you have in your soil and what is lacking. A soil rich in Nitrogen is great for growing leafy green plants such as kale and lettuce and a soil with high Potassium will grow amazing potatoes. You will hear a lot of talk about NPK, but they are not the only nutrients inside soil that make a difference. Calcium for example is very important. Amending soil with some fertilizers or organic matter is an easy way to put valuable nutrients in your soi. Because we are trying to keep this newsletter simple, for now just know that it is important to test your soil or have it tested so you know what you need to do to amend your soil for the types of plants you want to grow. You can obtain easy soil test kits at your local garden center or you can search your area for a soil testing service for a more comprehensive test. We found a great video that explains testing and amending soil. Check out the link below.

How to Identify Your Soil Type: Sand, Clay, Loam, and Silt Soils

How To Amend Your Soil and AVOID These Big Mistakes

Maintenance - So you decided where you want to put a garden and you think you have decided what you want to grow and you did your research on all the technical things and now it is time to plant. No, not yet! One more thing to consider is after planting, what do you need to maintain your plants? When considering types of plants to put in your garden, maintenance is important. Be realistic with this part. How much time do you want to spend maintaining your garden? If you want to spend every waking moment in your garden, you eat and sleep garden and want to be in there up to your shoulders in soil etc., then maybe this isn't a big deal. Unless of course you want to give yourself a good challenge. But if you are not willing to put a lot of time in maintaining your garden, yet still want to grow your own, then low-maintenance plants will be what you are after. Lavender is a beautiful aromatic plant that also happens to be low-maintenance. Venus fly trap plant on the other hand requires specific humidity levels and are considered high maintenance. Whatever your need is here, we recommend that you know what your needs are and choose plants to meet your need.

This concludes part two of Grow Your Own Garden with Natalie's Acres Farm. We encourage you to visit your local greenhouse or garden center. Local growers are a free wealth of knowledge when it comes to choosing the right type of plants that meet your needs/wants for your garden. Get a head start now in choosing your plant types. Growing season is just around the corner. We hope you are enjoying our newsletters. Pass the word on to a friend or family member. Remember, start small, get good at growing that plant and then add a new challenge next time.

Enjoy your week! See you next time.

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