'Tis the Season to Plant a Garden

One of my only experiences with gardening was a few years ago when I planted a variety of organic, heirloom vegetables, from swiss chard to cauliflower.  I nursed and cherished my garden like a baby and just when the little sprouts started to look like real veggies, a mysterious collection of  beetles descended upon them--covering every inch of green; they remained until there was barely anything left.  You'd think this would make me avoid planting a garden like I avoid doing my taxes, but I feel compelled to try again because I know how soul-enriching it will be to have an intimate connection to some of my food.  Also, my mom just bought me several varieties of collard green plants, so I must start planting!  I'm hoping if I plant enough, there will be plenty for both me and the bugs!  Sure, I could spray my garden with chemicals and keep the bugs at bay, but this goes against everything I stand for.  I don't believe in killing other beings, no matter how annoying they might be and  I certainly don't want to be ingesting toxic chemicals.  There are already enough in our air and water, so we all get plenty involuntarily!

In addition to my variety of collards in my platning bed, I'm going to try some container gardening.  A friend of mine grows herbs and lettuce in cute little pots and it's the easiest thing to maintain and gives her a surprisingly large harvest for the season.  The one successful stint at gardening I had was a few potted pepper plants that gave us an abundance of hot peppers all summer long and into the fall last year.  Gardening on this scale is manageable for everyone and it can be done almost anywhere.  Container gardening is also easy on your back!

OK, so I planted my collards a few weeks ago when they were only 2 inches tall and like magic they have trippled in size.  The only chore, which I don't even consider a chore, is to water them and to pull a weed or two that is growing near them  I also have a secret weapon this time around, Mycorrhizal fungi!  The following is an excerpt from the amazingly magical website:  Fungi Perfecti. If you want incredible vegetables and plants then read on!  "Mycorrhizal fungi are fungi that have developed a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the root systems of living plants, from garden vegetables all the way up to Old Growth trees. Networks of mycorrhizal filaments envelop the seedling's root structure, greatly extending and enhancing (by a factor of several hundred to several thousand times) the growing plant's water- and nutrient-gathering abilities and protecting the plant from disease.  Sadly, modern techniques for clearing and developing land for human use destroy mycorrhizal fungi, reducing the ability of plants to thrive in man-made environments and forcing us to resort to fertilizers and other artificial means of promoting plant growth."  So buy some MycoGrow from Fungi Perfecti and watch your plants truly thrive.  I guarantee my collards are shooting up twice as fast because of this wonderful little helper.

"When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.”

 --Minnie Aumonie