The Benefits of Square Foot Gardening

If you haven't noticed, there is method behind our madness when it comes to the design of our boxes we used for our gardens. Our planters are created to maximize the method of square foot gardening. What is that you might ask? Well, read on and you shall be enlightened!

Square foot gardening is a concept that was popularized by a man named Mel Bartholomew, who understood the benefits of having a garden that was easily accessible from all angles, while ensure that the soil was safe from individuals walking through it. As well, he understood that a garden could maximize its growth potential if the total area was used efficiently. By allowing the maximum amount of alike plants to grow in one square foot, you are able to maximize the gardens output. For example, you can plant 16 radish plants per square foot, but only 4 strawberry plants per square foot.

What is great about these planters is that it does not take a lot to be successful in your growing. Because you do not have to grow straight from the ground, and instead are able to control the variable in your garden (such as soil mixture and invasive plants), you are able to produce much more than with traditional methods.

Another issue that the square foot planters alleviate is the lack of access to the elderly and handicap. Originally, vegetable gardens would be in rows, and in order to tend to each plant individually, you would need to walk through your garden, get down on your hands and knees, and work. With raised square foot gardens, this is not an issue. The gardens can be as high as the individual needs them, making bending over or crawling around a thing of the past. As well, there is no trudging through the dirt anymore in order to reach your plants; they are a mere arms length away.

Mel is a great inspiration to the work we do at Green Gourmet Gardens, and through his teachings, we have been able to modify our gardens to ensure the most durable and healthy product. For example, the corners of our gardens are built with an overlapping design to ensure that there is minimal flex when the the garden is filled with soil. As well, we use western red cedar to build our planters. You can read all about the benefits of this wood here.

So what are you waiting for? Let us build you the raised planter of your dreams and take advantage of this amazing way to grow fresh veggies for you and your family!

The Benefits of Western Red Cedar

If you haven't noticed yet, all of our products are made out of western red cedar. This is no accident. The benefits of using this wood are plentiful, both for style, health benefits, and environmental sustainability. Keep reading to understand why we at Green Gourmet Garden only used the best material for our planters.

One of the greatest benefits of using red cedar for our planters is that it is completely renewable and recyclable, meaning that the footprint this wood leaves on the environment is literally zero. Many other products used to build planters such as plastic or metal use resources that will be forever lost. As well, wood products make up 47% of the raw materials harvested in the USA, yet only use 4% of the energy required to harvest all raw materials!

Another benefit of using western red cedar to build our planters is that it is a quality and durable building material. This wood has been used as a building material for literally hundreds of years in many different settings. As well, red cedar has a natural resistance to decay and insects, meaning that your planter will allow you to grow for years to come. As well, maintenance for red cedar wood is minimal. While the colour can fade over time, as all wood does, all it takes is a quick sanding or power wash to fully restore your planter to a full reddish shine.

Finally, and most obviously, western red cedar just looks darn good! There's a reason that red cedar is used in every sort of building project. It makes any fence, deck, house siding, or other product really stand out and look great. Also, red cedar has a natural hue that no other material can mimic. With a variety of hues and grain patterns, red cedar is the obvious choice!

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Vegetable Super-foods!

Home grown vegetable are the best way to ensure that you and your loved ones are consuming food that is untouched by pesticides or preservatives. Some veggies though are extremely packed full of nutritional goodness and contain major health benefits, far surpassing the average vegetable. Here are some examples of these super-foods that you can grow in your very own garden!

Broccoli is one of the most common, yet most healthy vegetables one can grown. First off, it is absolutely packed full of much needed nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and ESPECIALLY fiber (10% of your daily recommended intake in a mere cup). As well, broccoli is considered a cool weather crop, meaning that it can thrive in early fall. Broccoli can be prepared in many ways, from steaming them, to casseroles, to simply eating it raw!

Another fine super-food to grow in your backyard garden this summer is lettuce. That stuff normally found in salads is packed full of flavonoids, which contains necessary antioxidants and cancer fighting properties. On top of that, this leafy vegetable is good for your ticker as well! In fact, one Harvard study concluded that by eating 8 or more servings of vegetables a day, and being sure to include leafy veggies, one can reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by up to 20%.

On the stronger side of thing, garlic is an extremely healthy vegetable to grow in your own garden. While it may make your breath stink to high heaven, garlic is packed full of sulfur, which not only gives it that characteristic smell, but also helps to relax and expand your blood vessels, which in turn can lower your blood pressure. Furthermore, the allicin compounds in garlic are antibacterial and antiviral, which helps fight off cold and flu. So, as long as you don’t mind the smelly breath, plant some garlic in your garden for the amazing health benefits!

Finally, one of my personal favourites is the sweet potato. This versatile veggie does an excellent job of stabilizing blood-sugar levels, unlike its potato cousin. As well, it lowers the body’s insulin resistance, making it great for a diabetic’s diet. On top of this sweet potatoes are loaded with anti-inflammatory properties, which is great for conditions such as asthma and arthritis. But the best part about this plump produce is that it can be cooked so many ways! Bake it, mash it, fry it, the possibilities are endless.

By growing these delicious and nutritious super-food veggies, you’ll keep yourself and your family healthy and happy. So what are you waiting for, get growing!

Give back by growing your own garden!

You may have not enjoyed history in high school, but this is quite interesting…

During World War I and World War II there was incredible pressure on food supply, which was brought on by the war effort because farmers were sent to war. Thus, wartime victory gardens were created by civilians who were not only forced to deal with the scarcity of food supplies but also felt that it was their civil duty to give back.  Growing your own garden during these wars was part of everyone’s daily life in Canada, US, and the UK.  

Sometime after this, we lost our way, and factory farms became the norm as life became too hectic!  In a time when we are living with major global threats and shrinking natural resources, we should be taking a page out of our parent’s and grandparent’s book! Growing your own garden will be your opportunity to give back to this planet and give you that same sense of pride and duty that our ancestors felt. Stay tuned to our weekly blog and welcome to another fantastic gardening season!

Happy Gardening!

The Green Gourmet Gardens Team

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Get Out of My Garden, You Sucker!!

As your tomato plant is growing you have to keep an eye out for suckers...which are not bugs but small branches that are trying to join from an existing branch.  So, how do you find a sucker? Here is a picture of one.

Suckers suck the energy out of the plant therefore taking the nutrients away from the plant. The best way to get rid of it is to pinch or snap it off.  It allows the plant to grow taller and produce more tomatos which are better tasting!

See you next Sunday!

Happy Gardening...The Green Gourmet Gardens Team!

Janice

Happy Mothers Day!

We are starting early to plant our gardens because the weather forecast looks fabulous.  If we do get frost over the next few weeks, here are a few tips to protect your garden.

• If you have empty plastic milk jugs hanging around your garage, you can cut the bottoms and place them over your plants.  This will create a mini green house and protect your plants against frost.
• You can also use a card board box...open the lid during the day to let the sunlight in and close it at night to protect the plants from frost.
• Best method of all is using floating row covers that are available at any garden centre.  They come in rolls usually about 4 or 5 feet wide and they come in various thicknesses depending upon what you are looking for. You roll it over the garden and hold it down with rocks.  It will allow sunlight and water to get through, retains heat and keeps bugs out.  Don't use clear plastic covers because they allow the heat to escape.

See you next Sunday!

Happy Gardening!

The Green Gourmet Gardens Team

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May has finally arrived...yeh!!  The long weekend is rapidly approaching.  Are you ready to plant a  garden?  Do not hesitate to buy a garden today...call us and we will build it and deliver it by the long weekend in May!  Please visit our site for the benefits of raised bed gardening  http://greengourmetgardens.ca/

If you are too busy right now to plant seeds then don't worry you can purchase your plants into June from a garden centre.  Garden centres are offering a wider variety of vegetable and herb plants because more and more people are interested in planting their own garden. The cost benefit ratio is remarkable! As an example a tomato seed costs approximately $.02 cents and nursery stock $2.00 and one plant could produce a crop of 20 or more tomatoes.  Who said that healthly eating is expensive! Most grocery stores are purchasing mass produced genetically altered vegetables that are grown for quantity and not taste.  Just think, you can grow your own vegetables for taste. Now, that makes good shopping sense!

Happy Gardening!

The Green Gourmet Gardens Team