Gardening Tips In NJ

The garden is producing!!! And its not just lettuce anymore.

This week the broccoli was finally ready. Because of the cool weather the heads of broccoli were the biggest I've seen in spring in many years. Usually by this time it's so hot that it begins to flower before getting to the size you see in the grocery store. One head of broccoli per meal and you see how quickly you've eaten your crop, especially when you've only planted 12 plants, and here you thought 12 was a lot (broccoli takes up a lot of space to boot!), although the main head has been harvested I know that in just a few days little shoots will begin to emerge and I can have a continuous harvest of little sprouts for the rest of the summer and into the fall. Keep in mind that if you don't pick them in time you'll see little yellow flowers in attempt to push out seeds.

As I was quickly eating up that crop I began to think about how much I consume as a single eater. I tend 9 (4'x8')raised bed boxes in my front yard. To some this may appear to be a large garden. I live by myself most of the time so primarily its just me that is being fed by this plot . As I toil in the dirt I realize that in an effort to grow my own food, it is but a drop in the bucket of what it takes to sustain me on my primarily vegetarian diet. I would need to cultivate my entire suburban plot to begin getting closer to growing what I would need for a full year, and that's just for little ole me!

We are fortunate enough here in NJ to have a rather long growing season and even longer if we extend with cold frames and the like, but even still, it is a stretch to get enough out of our own gardens. I say this as someone who considers herself a serious gardener, and one who does practice what she preaches in the garden. The point I'm making is it brings to light the unsung hero's of the dirt; the people who've made a career of farming. Most likely its the farmer who lives very far away from here who's livelihood is connected to rhythms of the season, planning, planting, managing, harvesting and all the frustration and dirty work in between. What we experience in our little home vegetable gardens is almost quaint compared to a working farm. I express these thoughts not because I think what we do at home doesn't matter, but because it brings to light our reliance upon them and that we appreciate the people who grow our food on a large scale. When we begin to engage in fundamentals of growing our own food we connect to a basic human necessity, one that is unfortunately taken for granted everyday.

In my greatest efforts to grow as much food as I can for as long as I can, I won't get by for an entire year and I still depend on the farmers, and that includes all the immigrants who work so hard doing the jobs most people would not. To all of them, I thank you! And so ........ I will grow vegetables that will keep after harvest for extended periods of time like; winter squash, carrots, beets, onions and garlic. I will also can dilly beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, hot peppers, strawberry, blueberry and raspberry jam. And dehydrate tomatoes, blueberries, herbs and peppers!