Growing Your Own Food

Healthy eating and staying healthy is a priority for me. In order to stay healthy you have to eat healthy, to eat healthy you have to know what you're eating. Nowadays you can buy everything you need and you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen cooking and cleaning but it's not sure what you're eating is good for your healthy.

We all know what processed food, fast food and GMO means and can do to you. It's easy to say you have to stay away from those but then comes the question, what should we eat? Organic is expensive everywhere and in some countries you pay for organic but it's not sure you are getting organic.

We have a land and are growing out fruits and vegetables for years. It's a huge challenge and tiring work but it's for our well being, for our health, so it worth it.

Planning

Each year we make a plan for next year and the planning starts before the actual gardening season ends. During the gardening year you see what went well and what went wrong. You already know what needs to be changed, modified, improved. Planning is always good as you have time to think it over, look for better solutions and get whatever it is needed.

But this is not the only thing that needs planning. Rotation is key in agriculture as that's the only way to avoid contaminating the soil. Each year you have to choose a different place for your vegetables, meaning you can't plant onions two years in a row to the same place. This rotation method can save you from a lot of trouble.

Seeds

In the old days when everything was scarce we used to keep the seeds, dry them and keep them safe till next year and use them. This can work for a year or two but if there's a disease, you can't use the seeds anymore.

Nowadays you can buy seeds at every corner, whatever seeds you want. There are so many you don't know which one to choose. However, not every type is good for everyone. Normally we should have taken a soil sample and have it analyses in the lab to find out what's the best type of vegetable, suitable for that type of soil but that's too much trouble compared to the size of our garden, so we worked out what's working and what is not.

These are the latest, arrived today. Bulgarian seeds, very good quality. Four types of tomato seeds. These tomatoes are just like the ones on the package and taste heavenly good.

This photo was taken in the garden in June last year, before these yummy tomatoes started to turn red.

One month later when they started to ripen.

... and voilà! Have you ever had such a big tomato? How about home grown? As you can see, it's not perfect, it has some imperfections but that doesn't matter, it tasted heavenly good.

I'm telling you from experience, there is no better thing then to go to the garden and pick your vegetables for your meal.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and pepper or paprika can never miss from the garden. These are a must, no matter what. That's why we have so many types from each.

This is the real deal. Grown outside not in a greenhouse, no chemicals, no fertilizers except for what we use and that's 100% natural.

Unfortunately these are just a few type of seeds, the rest is at my dad's, I'm going to do another post in the near future about those.

These are some of the pickles we do every year.

More pickles and tomato sauce in the background. I just love what I can go to my storage room, take these healthy cans and have them in whatever I'm cooking.

Flowers

There's no garden without flowers and flowers must be planned too. This year we decided to grow these beauties at my dad's.

From left to right, top row: Ox-eye Harz, Aster Princess, Bicolor China Aster. These are all from the Callestephus chinensis family.
From left to right, top row: Dahlia Pompon mix, Zinnia - Old Mexico.

These are all going to flower starting from July and I can't wait to see these beauties brightening my day just by looking at them. Also planning on taking tons of photos to have something to cheer me up during gloomy winter days.

I was so happy to see these seeds online and ordered one pack right away with the tomato and pepper seeds. It's medicinal calendula. I've never had calendula before but know how good it is. I have calendula unguent that I've been using for irritations and small wounds and has served me well. It has antibacterial, cleansing and anti-allergic action. According to the description it's edible and can be used in salads.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, need to read and learn more but I'm sure I'll find a way to use them. If you have any advice or experience using calendula, or any recipe, please let me know.

Balcony Gardening

Yes, there's such thing as balcony gardening and it has to be good for those who don't have a garden. I'm among those when I'm home and not my dad's, so I need to plan my little balcony garden.

Last year I had this beauty called Nigella and the blue Lobelia in the background. These were nice, especially the Nigella but was too tall for my space.

This year I want something different but have no idea what exactly yet. I need to go to the mall, the gardening section and look around. There are so many nice flowers, no need to stick to one type year after year.