Gardening

Even if gardening wasn't enjoyable, wasn't economical, and didn't yield nutritious, fresh and delicious produce, homesteaders would want to do it anyway. Why? Because in addition to it being enjoyable and economical, and yielding a superior product, gardening is the means to directly producing one's own sustenance. It is also an investment with a payback that goes beyond the food itself. There is the building of good soil, the miracle of the sprouting seed, the nurturing of the growing plants, and the satisfaction and gratitude of harvesting and enjoying the bounty of the earth.

There is also the matter of food security. By being more self-reliant in meeting this basic human need, dependence on the broader economy is reduced in general, and dependence on food grown an unknown distance away, with unknown agricultural practices, is reduced in particular. For urbanites and other landless people, gardening is possible on rooftops and porches and in community gardens. For those out in the country, there is the possibility of market gardening: growing produce to sell (or barter) in addition to meeting one's own needs. More information on all of these subjects can be found in the links below, and in other pages in this section.

National Gardening: The Web site of the National Gardening Association is a broad and user-friendly source of gardening information. The site includes a searchable article library, a gardening dictionary with over 15,000 entries, a variety of message boards for discussion of various topics, and more.
Earth & Table: Consumer Resources: This subject directory of gardening and sustainable farming resouces is maintained by the members of Earth & Table, an online community of gardeners and cooks.
Horticulture Publications: Dozens of full-text argiculture publications from University of Missouri Cooperative Extension, covering a wide range of issues, from growing herbs at home to raised bed gardening.
Season Extension Techniques for Market Gardeners: A detailed and well-organized set of "technical notes" on ways to extend the growing season. It is geared toward the market gardener, but the cold frames, row covers and other practices and plastics discussed could be just as beneficial to the kitchen gardener. Courtesy of Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), this paper concludes with an extensive list of further resources.

For city-dwellers

City Farmer's Urban Agriculture Notes: Urban Agriculture Notes, published by Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture, has a wealth of information on everything from rooftop gardening to sprouting at home in the city.
American Community Garden Association: Even if you live in a large city, you may be able to secure a plot of land in a community garden. Most cities and towns offer small plots of land for a minimal fee for residents to garden. There may be a waiting list to get a plot, but you won't know until you call City Hall and ask. This site is very informative, but does not have a comprehensive listing of which towns have community gardens.

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