Listen in below to the full podcast, Episode #247 How to Grow Food at Home Q&A of the Pioneering Today Podcast, where we don’t just inspire you, but give you the clear steps to create the homegrown garden, pantry, kitchen and life you want for your family and homestead.
What if I need food right now?
Grow sprouts, you can use seed, my favorite is radish, broccoli, cabbage, or any green seed. Place a 1/4 cup in a quart-sized Mason jar and fill with water. Allow to soak for 8 hours, strain. Twice a day rinse and strain the seeds. Within 3 days you'll have sprouts to add to salads, soups or sandwiches. You can use a coffee filter or cheesecloth as a strainer or I use this easy sprouting lid that screws onto the Mason jar. Store sprouts in fridge for up to a week.
I have a full video on sprouts and micro-greens inside the FREE Organic Gardening Workshop here
Where should I buy seeds?
Here are my favorite sources on where to buy heirloom seeds. I will say don't wait, with as fast as things are moving I recommend getting your garden seed now.
Can I start seed starting now, even if it's too cold for me to plant out?
This depends, cool weather crops (plants that will tolerate frosts) can usually be planted out between 4 and 2 weeks before your last average frost date and can be seed started about 6 weeks prior to your last average frost date. With the use of cold frames, you may be able to get them in the ground sooner (inside the Organic Gardening Workshop I have a whole video on easy cold frames).
If it's warm weather crops (those that don't handle a frost) like tomatoes, summer squash and peppers, you don't want to start them too early. Follow the guidelines (full chart inside my book The Family Garden Plan) tomatoes and peppers are usually 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost while summer and winter squash are 2 weeks per each crop.
If you start them too early they'll become root-bound or need to be potted into larger pots.
How to grow an organic garden and what would be the first step of switching from conventional to organic gardening?
I do have some podcasts that dive into the organic gardening and what that means, but the short and skinny on that is to be organic you're not using any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Stop using them if you're using them and begin using crop rotation and companion planting because that feeds your soil so you don't have to fertilize as often. And you are naturally cutting down on disease and pest by using both crop rotation and companion planting.
Episode #201 What is Organic Gardening and How to Start an Organic Garden at Home
Episode #233 Easy Crop Rotation in the Garden Based on Plant Families
What is the best tomato variety to grow for canning?
My personal is heirloom San Marzano Lungo 2 but many like an Amish paste or Roma tomato as well.
