Harvest Day Today! (Organic Gardening)

It's harvest day! 

Over 2 months ago, I planted organic lettuce, spinach, chives, and cilantro and I did the whole thing organically (which was an expensive challenge).  We had quite a fight with powdery mildew to which I learned about Neem Oil, but too late for the spinach, they didn't make it.  I also learned about a water milk solution and water baking soda solution, but neither did anything like the Neem Oil.  The lettuce was not at the fullest it could be and some was lost to the mildew infestation, but some was saved too (though growth somewhat stunted.)  Chives came out ok, but I learned the hard way, not to plant too much in one spot and that did stunt their growth a little...oops.  The cilantro however, flourished!  So tonight is harvest salad with a little lettuce, chives, and a lot of cilantro.  Now I know what to do (and what not to do) for next time! :D

This was a rewarding experiment for my family and I and has really taught us the value we place on food and it's proper handling and care.  It is a labor of love indeed, tending and taking care of plants.  They need the same things we do in order to survive and thrive.  I found myself out there a few times a week just giving them energy (that is what saved some of my lettuce) as well as fussing over every little leaf and pulling out seeds and tree debris from their pots.  

I hope I learned enough to go for my second batch of veggies here soon!  Time will tell.  But in the meantime, there will be amazing raw and healthy salad for this family tonight!

I hope to extend my gardening and planting to full self-sustainability, that is the goal!  No more grocery stores, spending outrageous amounts of money on organic food, or the cost of gas to our local organic food store (about an hour away from our house).  I am pretty sure I have a ways to go and quite a bit more to learn until that goal is reached, but I am ok with it.  Time is time and it's always worth a positive investment in. 

I also found a great video of this guy who has been living off of wild food for 12 years and is as healthy as can be!  Makes me think of other options beside my own gardening in case I continue to have iffy harvests.  Here is the video...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IzxRDsBtXrM