One of our big goals is to grow as much of our own food as we can. We’ve started off slow, but are making good progress. Below is a story on how you can get started doing the same. It will save you from making some mistakes we did starting from scratch. Please read the whole article, and think about following the author using your social networking weapon of choice.

3 Tips to Start growing Your Own Food

About a month ago, I posted about the epic road trip I planned to take across the country, and how I planned to eschew gas station goods for sustainable, healthy food. Well, the trip went well, and I was incredibly inspired by how the local food movement has taken flight. Everywhere I went, whether it was Withey’s Natural Foods in Kalispell, Montana or Peace Coffee in Minneapolis, there was evidence not only of successful and sustainable businesses, but of a thriving local scene that celebrated local food and small farmers.I was so inspired, in fact, that I decided the next step in my journey was to start my own local movement here in Hadley, Massachusetts. And by local I mean my own backyard. That’s right. I moved to Western Mass in part because I needed more space than what was afforded to me in a small, second-floor studio apartment in Oakland, California. I love the Bay Area, and its local food movement is impressive (hello, Alice Waters and Michael Pollan). But when I walked into my new apartment in Massachusetts and could actually take three giant steps from one side of the kitchen to the other, I almost turned a cartwheel. And when I went into the backyard, I almost cried. Actually, I did cry. There are corn stalks back there already, and sunflowers nearly twice my height. The next door neighbors have a rooster, hens, and even rabbits. So I’m going to do it: I’m starting my own small, organic garden.

I’m hoping some faithful readers will take the dive with me. I’ve had a garden only once before, and I ended up moving out before I could partake of the fruits of my labor. But it’s important to me to start one again, and for those with the space, I encourage you to do the same.  Having your own garden gives you the opportunity to appreciate how food is grown. It also gives no doubt as to where your food comes from and what’s been administered to it. Growing your own veggies can even save you money – during WWII, many Americans planted Victory Gardens to help supplement the nation’s food supply at a time when food was rationed.

Here are three initial steps I plan to take over the next few weeks.  Feel free to let me know what I missed, how you plan to go about it, or, if you have other helpful hints for readers.