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Gardening Help with Farmer Dave

Gardening Help with Farmer Dave is a new feature on Organic Gardening and Homesteading, where gardening expert David Rose will periodically share his tips on organic gardening

Farmer Dave is author of the website Family-Gardens.com, a website encouraging people to think global but plant local. It provides gardening help on creating a permaculture homestead, growing food to feed yourself and your family from the land.

Here is his story in his own words:

Greetings organic gardeners and homesteaders,

Spring is on the way and it is time to prune your fruit trees and start your gardens! We live in Northern California and have been planting peas and greens outside and under cloches and we have flats of tomatoes, peppers and melons sprouting in the green house.

My family and I have been living on our homestead farm for the last 30 years raising about 80 percent of our food. I feel so fortunate to be able to live my dreams!

Gardening Help with Farmer Dave

Farmer Dave will use this form to add his stories.

Farmer Dave's Title

Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission.

Gardening Help - Growing Beautiful Organic Gardens

I want to help inspire and teach others to grow beautiful organic gardens and to live simply and sustainably. I see this as the only way to truly give us all a sustainable future with the limited recourses to be found on the earth. Besides, creating a permaculture homestead is fun and rewarding, as well as a lot of good physical work which helps to keep you in good shape.

Gardening Help - Becoming Trash Free

Most families have a trash can or two of trash a week and another can or two of recyclables. We have about 4 trash cans of household trash a year and another 2 of recycling. We just don't buy our food in packages, bottles or cans. Most of our trash comes from our visitors. We grow most of what we eat and what we don't grow we buy in large bulk bags. Think before you buy! Where did the packaging come from where will it go.

Three things you can do to create a more sustainable trash-free life:

Grow your own food
Trade with local farmers
Buy what you need in bulk without a lot of plastic packaging.

Gardening Help - Farmer Dave's Qualifications

I must admit I did not get my college degree in gardening. I gained my knowledge through actual experience. I have been an organic gardener for over 34 years and was a farmer on a 10 acre organic vegetable farm.

I realized that I didn't want to grow food for the masses using lots of machines and diesel trucks to get our food to market and then finally to your table. Organic food is great wherever it is grown, but to truly make a difference in this world I realized that the organic movement had to take root and grow in every family's home. I dreamed of creating a simple and sustainable life style. I am living that dream and so can you!

Gardening Help and the Power of Planting a Seed

Plant a seed and watch it grow! The first time I planted a garden I really had my doubts; is this really going to work will this little seed really grow and then feed me? Just the sprouting of a little seed inspired in me a deep faith in myself and creation. I began to watch the seasons more closely and to understand the interconnectedness of life. To see how the web of life is interwoven and how, what each one of us does affects us all.

Gardening Help and Gardens of the Past

A century ago it seemed as if there were endless resources, endless oil, endless forests, endless fish, and wide open spaces. You could dump pollutants into our rivers and oceans forever; they were so big you could never hurt them. People didn't even know of the ozone layer or global warming. The fact that humans could damage the earth's life supporting ecosystems was unthinkable. Today 100 years later almost everyone can see that what we humans do does matter. If we want a healthy planet for our children and grand children to experience we need to take care of our earth.

Gardening Help Philosophy: "Live simply that others may simply live." Visit Farmer Dave's website by clicking here.

Extra Gardening Tips

Comprehensive Course on Gardening! Increase the value of your home by 30%. Learn more by clicking here. A garden kneeler and seat makes daily weeding chores much easier by easing the strain on your lower back and knees while protecting your clothing from stain and injuries.

To protect your back, use a lifting tool for heavy pots and other objects.

Long-term exposure to the elements will damage your tools and shorten their use. Store your tools and other gardening supplies in a portable storage bin.

To make yard and garden cleaning easier, use a Kangaroo Gardening Container.

Invest in a sharpening tool to keep your shovel and other gardening tools sharp and easier to work with.

Grow a successful hydroponic gardening with this helpful resource. Protect your hands from insects and other injuries by wearing good quality gardening gloves.

More Homestead Gardening Links

Thinking about gardening the organic way? Follow these simple steps first.

Want to save even more money when gardening? Purchase bulk seeds for cost savings and self reliant preparation.

Get an early start on your gardening by starting your seeds indoors. Here are some tips.

Ready to grow your own vegetables, but you're not sure where to begin? Learn which vegetables are the easiest to grow by clicking here.

The most comprehensive gardening instruction available on the internet! Learn more. Are you thinking about putting in a garden? Follow these tips.

For healthy strong plants, put in raised beds.

Or avoid the digging altogether and put in these easier raised beds.

For truly rich, healthy soil, learn how to make your own compost.

Protect your plants and keep down weeds by mulching. Here are some mulching tips.

Build up your soil, and you'll keep pests down to a minimum, but what happens if pests do attack your garden? Here are some pest control tips

100's Of Wonderfully Frugal, Eco-Friendly and Highly Resourceful Gardening Techniques. click here to learn more. Gotten into poison ivy lately. Learn how to treat that awful itch. Here's how.

Do you have limited space? Consider growing your organic garden in containers.

Ready to have your own container garden? Here are some tips on finding the right garden container

Gardening can be much more than a hobby; it can also be a way to raise most of your food. Here's how.

An good resource for raising your own food is this ebook.

If you want the richest humus for your gardening, consider composting with worms

Save Thousands of Dollars a Year With This Fully Illustrated Guide. Click here to learn more. Want to have fresh greens for your salad all winter? Then build this easy, effective cold frame.

Get your garden off to the right start with strong growth and an early harvest. Learn how you can germinate seeds.

So why should you pursue organic gardening? Learn the benefits by clicking here.

True self sufficiency means being able to produce your own excellent-quality seeds. Here's how.

To save seeds, you must start with quality plants. Learn why you should purchase the seeds of heirloom plants by clicking here.

Have you thought about organic gardening but don't know where to begin? Try these tips.

Have a Bountiful Organic Garden using a tiny amount of space. Learn more. As homesteaders, we primarily think about gardening to raise food, but beauty is also important. Learn the importance of cottage gardening.

When planning your garden, don't forget to grow herbs. Not only do they smell nice and add flavoring to food, many also have healing qualities. Learn more.

Got a bumper crop of potatoes or other root vegetables this season? Learn an economical way to store them to keep them fresh all winter by clicking here.

If you want to extend your growing season, a small greenhouse might be just the ticket. Learn more.

If you are thinking about adding on a lean to greenhouse, there are a few things to keep in mind. Read more.

The winter months are a perfect time for planning your spring garden. Learn more.

Summer garden not all you hoped it to be? Consider putting in a fall garden, but be sure to protect your plants from frosty nights. Learn how.

The ins and outs of storing produce from your garden can be found by clicking here.

If you had an abundant harvest of root vegetables this year, don't let them go to waste; store them using this time-proven method instead. Read more.

Ready for the strongest, healthiest garden ever with a bounteous produce? Learn how to make compost tea. Learn more

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Build Your Own Chicken Tractor!

You Can Build a Chicken Tractor Provides you with step-by-step instructions on how to build a chicken tractor and also provides helpful information on how to get free wood and how your chickens can pay for themselves.

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