The Beginning

In an era of cutting back and watching what we spend, I have become more concious about many things in my life. One of them being the food that my husband and I eat. While I am very frugal, we eat almost no processed foods. This makes grocery shopping more and more expensive as the cost of fresh produce continues to rise and the amount of chemicals used on produce continues to grow. So, here is my solution. Let's grow an organic garden...

Many people have laughed at my idea (which I totally understand, you'll see why soon). But, I'm going to try to see what I can grow myself, and what I can freeze, dry, can, and preserve for the next winter. I did a small (very, very small) amount of this last fall and have loved being about to pull tomatoes out of my freezer to make sauce this winter and they actually taste like tomatoes!

Now most people think that anyone living on a farm, in any type of subdivision, or anyone that has a basic yard can do this. It is true, you're right. However, I don't live in a subdivision, and I don't live on a farm. In fact I live in downtown Columbus, OH. My husband and I share an old Italian style house on a VERY narrow lot. I joke that when most people buy land, they purchase acres, I own FEET. My entire lot is 40 feet wide!

So, here is my challenge. I want to be able to create a back yard garden that will produce enough vegetables to sustain me through the summer and hopefully allow some for the winter. My husband and I often attend the local farmer's market and I hope to continue to do this throughout the summer. I'm going to supplement my growing with produce purchased there and just see what I can have for next winter.