How did I ever not learn to grow my own food? I started trying to garden organically in North Carolina in the summers of 2012, 2014, and 2016 -- all traumatic in that planting tomatoes too early leads to early blight; humid summers bring late blight; spraying two solutions on tomato leaves over back-to-back days will probably kill it, even if solutions are all-natural; most plants have an insect that loves on them a little too much for a small garden; hail and wind will wreak havoc; and birds and rabbits can be a challenge.
I built a new garden in 2022. I've learned a ton, and still have much to learn. I can't wait till all the experiments are done and I have more experience under my belt -- because then I can make how-to videos. For now, I hope you enjoy my garden notes as well as my show-and-tell videos. The goal is to share what works in my area -- with a caveat that "successful" gardening depends on so many things including your location, temperature throughout the day, and how much sun your plants get; if you're growing in-ground or even the types of containers you use; your soil and things you put in your soil to feed the microorganisms and plants; the types of plants you are growing; and so much more. At some point, I will write a printable how-to-grow garden guide for each plant, and include the ways in which we use it in Chamorro cooking.
At the end of the day, if you really want to grow your own food, just start planting. You will have issues to contend with that are common, and issues that are specific to your area (and what you are growing), but take notes and learn so you can do better the next season.
Effective March 2021, PaulaQ will begin replacing Canola and vegetable/seed oils in recipes with pure lard from Reverence Farm, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
