gardens

My family always had a garden. It wasn't until I was around 10 that I understood that they had a garden in part because the prophet had asked them to grow one. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments … can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 170–71; or Ensign, May 1976, 124).

You can have a garden in any living situation, whether on a farm or living in an apartment. You don't even have to have windows. Terrariums can be used to grow sprouts, herbs or even a tomato plant. You can grow garden plants in your flower beds, in pots on a porch or in gardening boxes. A garden doesn't just produce in the summer. We live in an cold-winter area, yet our garden can be productive almost year round. Don't know where to start? Check out a book from your local library or visit your local extension service online.

Gardens are a wonderful resource for your three-month supply. They can provide your family with fresh, frozen, dried, stored, and/or bottled vegetables and fruits all year round. Like I mentioned in my last post, gardens don't just work out the first time you plant seeds. It takes some practice to understand the ways that plants grow in your area, climate and soil. So don't wait until hard times to think about starting a garden. In fact, now is a great time to plant or plan a garden for your family.

As part of my three-month supply, I store garden seeds. You can buy a #10 can with seeds packed inside, but these don't have a long shelf life. Having fresh seeds is pretty important when it comes to success in a garden. I used old onion seeds this year and didn't get a single onion. I usually buy extra seeds each spring and always have a year's worth of seeds that way. As your skills increase in your garden, you can start learning about hybrid and nonhybrid seeds. Eventually you can learn how to harvest your own seeds and thus perpetuate your garden without ever having to buy any seeds.