Author Topic: Gardening Advice - What I've learned!  (Read 5910 times)

Offline Brian Gallimore

  • CitizenGardenerTeam
  • Food Producer
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Brian G
    • Brian's personal website
Gardening Advice - What I've learned!
« on: March 11, 2011, 09:37:40 AM »
Gardening is Americas #1 hobby.  That means lots of people are doing it.  It also means lots of businesses are chasing after the dollars of all those people doing it.  This isn't a bad thing, but that fact does need to be stored in the back of your head because sometimes it changes things.

There are wide variances in people's techniques, knowledge, experience, and philosophy.  Humans have been growing food for thousands of years, but within the last 100 years, amazing 'progress' has been made in the area of technology and education and communications.  

So I said all of that to lead into this:  use your own brain to interpret any gardening advice you receive, and take personal responsibility for what you are doing.

I think it is best to try to understand the basis for what is really happening.  Most of us are accustomed to the 'if I have problem x, then do solution y" way.  This is usually OK, but what we forget about are the unintended consequences, which likely are unknown or undisclosed.  I also think it is best to think about the situation in terms of larger scope, larger area, and longer time.

The beauty is that you get to decide.  You get to choose how you are going to proceed, and you get to improve your own techniques, knowledge, experience, and philosophy along the way.   Hopefully, you keep learning and improving.  Hopefully we share with others and help them learn and improve also.  
« Last Edit: March 18, 2011, 09:42:15 PM by Brian Gallimore »
briangallimore.com  -Permaculture Nut-  -Master Gardener-  -Master Naturalist-  Princeton Texas

Offline Daniel Wood

  • Transplant
  • ****
  • Posts: 118
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Gardening Advice - What I've learned!
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2013, 06:46:31 PM »
Good to see others who want to challenge what we have been taught to  believe.  I am doing my best to rethink "weeds" and running an experiment in the garden this year letting "weeds" also grow.  Idea came from watching a lot of permaculture folks whose garden looks like an over grown field.  I have been doing lots of reading on eating the "weeds" and also what the weeds are telling you about the soil.  I have come to the conclusion that nature has a plan and she is growing weeds for a reason so who am I to tell her no.  I can tell you one thing I have noticed so far is I am watering far less it seems the weeds are not actually competing for water but keeping the soil moist for longer.  Keep experimenting who knows what we can learn.

Offline carolyn trimmer

  • CitizenGardenerTeam
  • Seedling
  • *
  • Posts: 31
  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Gardening Advice - What I've learned!
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2013, 11:07:18 PM »
Excellent post!  I have been learning these concepts too!  Let's keep running experiments of all kinds and keep on growing.