For today’s “Trying To Be Healthy Tuesday” post, I thought I would share some of my organic vegetable gardening research. As I have mentioned before, I am planning to start a porch garden in the spring. Although I usually kill all things green (I even killed a cactus once), I am arming myself with as much research as possible, in hopes of being successful. I may fall flat on my face, but I am going to give it my best shot.

I am so excited about the possibility of growing my own food, even if it is a small amount. First, I would like to share my motivations behind why I want to start a garden. For me, it is more than just a hobby or way to save money. After sharing those reasons, I will post links to the helpful sites I have found so far.

Reasons To Consider Growing Our Own Food:

1) Fresh food is the most nutritious and versatile food option.

2) Eating home-grown produce saves money on the grocery bill.

3) Producing and eating our own food reduces our carbon foot print.
This is a big one for me. Gardening will reduce my consumption of packaged and processed food. This will reduce the amount of waste I generate.

4) Growing our own food increases our awareness of where our food comes from. This makes use more conscious consumers.

5) Gardening allows us to reuse household items and waste that may have previously ended up in a landfill. (i.e. composting or using old baskets as containers)

6) If you have children it can be a very educational experience.

Here are some sites that have helped me start this journey:

–Here is an introductory/how-to basic article.

– Organic Gardening.com- great articles here on creating your own seed pots and here on gardening in a small or urban space. This site is by far the most comprehensive resource I have found. So much great information!

-Davidson County Master Gardeners- this information is specific to my geographical area. However, if you Google search the Master Gardeners in your area, they will most likely have similar information.

-Find inexpensive and creative container ideas here. Craigslist would be a great place to look for these items