Articles by Jim Kennard on ArticleSnatch.com

How to Become Self Sufficient on One Acre of Ground

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Factors to Consider: . Food and money requirements The income you receive will depend on what you choose to grow, on how well you follow through in the growing process, and on how well you handle the financial and marketing aspects of the job. Consider carefully a) your family size, b) the standard of living expected, and c) the debt load you expect the garden to carry. A home mortgage plus car and credit card payments of $3,000 per month requires a much greater effort to cover than if you're debt-free. . Location Warm climates may require lots of water and even a little shade at the hottest times, while cold climates often require more greenhouse seedling production and the covering of garden crops in spring and fall to extend the growing season. You will improve your garden's production in any location or climate using the Mittleider method. . Commitment You must understand the commitment involved with market gardening, and be willing to do it right. Our grandparents grew gardens, and often owned animals. They had to work every day to feed, water, and care for their animals and plants. There is very little time available for vacations, etc. **End Summary** Topics: organic gardening]]> sustainable gardening]]> vegetable gardening books]]> food for everyone foundation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim is also a primary author on the Organic Gardening website How to Organic Garden.

Organic or Chemical gardening. Which is Best?

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

What Plants Need Plants require 16 elements for healthy growth. The first 3 - carbon, oxygen and hydrogen - are readily obtained from the air. Through photosynthesis, plants create 95% of their substance from these first 3 elements. The other 13 elements come from the soil and make up only 5% of the plant, but are nonetheless vitally important, for without them the plant will fail. Most importantly, the plant can only access these 13 nutrients as water-soluble minerals through its root system. The Role of Chemicals The chemist says that soil is made up of "chemicals;" the geologist uses the term "minerals;" and the organic enthusiast calls it "organic and inorganic" material. They are all talking about the same thing. Therefore, let's not get carried away with refusing to use "chemicals" in the garden in favor of something else, because in fact there is no "something else!" Soils Get Depleted Over Time Most soils naturally contain the other 13 elements (mineral nutrients) needed by plants, but thousands of years of leaching and crop removal have removed most of the water-soluble compounds, making what's left largely unusable. **End Summary** Topics: organic gardening]]> sustainable gardening]]> vegetable gardening books]]> food for everyone foundation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim is also a primary author on the Organic Gardening website How to Organic Garden.

Deciding What to Plant

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I. We don't eat much broccoli or cauliflower at our house, so we seldom grow them. On the other hand, we love tomatoes, so Big Beef and Grape tomatoes are our largest crop. II. Crops that produce the most fruit with the highest value include tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, peppers, eggplant, zucchini and yellow crookneck, as well as cantaloupe or other small melons and climbing squash. These are all ever-bearing, and most can be grown vertically (another article you'll want to read), so they take up relatively little space in your garden. Single-crop varieties like cabbage can also be good growing choices, but they should be harvested quickly at maturity, before they become over-ripe and infested with pests and diseases. Corn is not a good choice for the small family garden because it takes so much space and produces very little, unless you're able to use the leaves and stalks. For example, a single corn stalk takes the same space as a tomato plant, but only produces one or two ears, while a single indeterminate tomato plant can produce as many as 50 tomatoes. **End Summary** Topics: organic gardening]]> sustainable gardening]]> vegetable gardening books]]> food for everyone foundation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim has also assisted in creating a Sustainable gardening Squidoo lens. Check the sites out and learn how to grow a sustainable organic garden free of charge.

How to Set Up a Mittleider Method Soil-Bed Garden

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

First off, you MUST have direct sunlight all day long for vegetables to thrive. Therefore, use only the space that has no shade. And don't worry if it seems small! You'll grow twice the food in one fourth the space others are using, so just do it right in the space you have. And actually, starting small is a good idea anyway! It's easier, more fun, and won't wear you out! Level ground, or something with a slight Southern slope is best, in order to catch the sun's strongest rays, and to avoid rapid water run-off that will wash out your soil, seeds, and seedlings. Begin by clearing your ground of EVERYTHING! No weeds, rocks, or anything else is allowed. "Cleanliness is next to godliness" certainly applies here, and you surely want your garden to be a thing of beauty, as well as being productive! Measure and stake the perimeter of your garden. This gives you an important starting point for figuring out how many soil-beds you can have, and then placing them properly. Let's use 25' X 35' as an example of what your garden area might be. **End Summary** Topics: organic gardening]]> sustainable gardening]]> vegetable gardening books]]> food for everyone foundation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim is also a primary author on the Organic Gardening website How to Organic Garden.

What is Sustainable Gardening?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

These are important questions, and the answers are 1) not necessarily, 2) & 3) yes, definitely. Let's find out how and why. Having a sustainable garden means very different things to different people. Some folks are led to believe that a sustainable garden must use only organic materials, because someday the commercially- available mineral nutrients may not be available. Perhaps we should also all ride bicycles, because someday gasoline may not be available. In my view a sustainable garden means one that can be used productively over an extended period of time, and involves several elements, including the following: * Growing food you want to eat, which motivates you to continue growing, * Growing economically, so that it is worthwhile doing, and * Taking care of health and environmental issues, so you are fed well, and your garden will continue to support healthy crops. * Growing Food You Want to Eat First off, choose plants to grow based on what your family wants to eat, and what will grow in your locale. The second part's easy, because most plants will grow under widely varied growing conditions. **End Summary** Topics: organic gardening]]> sustainable gardening]]> vegetable gardening]]> Jacob Mittleider]]> Food for Everyone Foundation]]> Jim Kennard]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Kennard is president of the Sustainable Gardening Non-Profit foundation, the Food for Everyone Foundation. Jim is also a primary author on the Organic Gardening website How to Organic Garden.