Amateurs Can Build DIY Veggie Gardens
Food doesn’t get any fresher or more delicious than when picked from your own yard.
I know, I know. That sounds great, but there is all that process, dirt, and green-thumb knowledge to contend with to make homegrown food a reality. I’d toyed with the idea before, but always decided it was easier to just buy veggies and herbs from real farmers. I mean, I only keep plants at home that require sunlight and (hardly any) water.
But I’m turning the corner this year and have embarked on a gardening adventure. For others like me who wouldn’t mind growing food but haven’t pulled the trigger, I’m documenting every step in a photo album on the Real Fine Food Facebook page. From my easy-to-assemble, slide-together garden bed frames to the soil mix to what I plant, how obstacles are overcome, and everything I learn — it’s all there. And you don’t even need a yard to grow food. You can create a home garden in a bucket on a balcony.
There is a neat organization called “Food is Free” that helps people build community gardens from salvaged materials. Basically, anyone can do it.
There are many wonderful small, local garden shops all over Dallas — look for yours and ask questions. You’ll find the people there are passionate about growing and happy to help. So far, I’ve attended a free veggie gardening class, secured a planting guide, and gotten my hands dirty putting together my above-ground garden boxes. Onion bulbs plus radish, carrot, and arugula seeds went in before our last winter blast. Soon seedlings will take up the rest of my bed space. Cultivating edible life in the earth is quite remarkable.
