Book Description

Table of Contents Introduction Soil Composition Inspecting the Composition of the Soil Proper Tools And Equipment Planning Your Ground Proper Soil Preparation Proper Plot Drainage Proper Digging Process Proper Methods of Sowing Seeds Manure Green Manure Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction It was in 1914 and in the beginning of World War I, when people suffering from the ravages of war decided that they would not go hungry. And that is why when the menfolk were away fighting, the old people, the children and the women decided that they would grow their own vegetables in their own gardens or in every available free space where they could get 4 inches of soil. These gardens were called victory gardens and the produce of these gardens made sure that during the war, absolutely no family starved, there was even enough extra to be sold in the market, and also to be sent to feed the whole British army fighting abroad! So just imagine that every family decided that even if it was living in a city or far away from wide-open spaces and farm area, they could grow their own vegetables, right there, in their suburban houses, on their terraces, balconies, or even in their kitchens. It is surprising to know that by World War II, even though Britain was still very much in the habit of making victory gardens to feed its people, and its army, other countries in the West did not follow this very sensible idea of growing your own food. One wonders why. However, today you can consider yourself on just such an emergency footing. With the world's economic condition being what it is, and not many people bothering much about working their lands to grow food, no wonder they would rather eat unhealthy food, which they buy wholesale in tins and cans, rather than eat healthy nourishing food. Canning your own food to preserve it has been done all over the world for millenniums. So why are we buying foodstuffs, in cans and tins, full of artificial preservatives, fresh off supermarket shelves? I remember a friend of mine visiting a country, which had been hard hit by the Great Depression of 2004. She was surprised to see many people of the city, just getting depressed, because they had lost their jobs, and they expected their government to spoonfeed them and give them money for food and clothing. She said, “why do not the states put these people to work on land and help them grow food, doing something useful for a change, instead of just sitting by the side of the road in a self pitying binge?” I told her that that was not the culture in this particular society. People were used, to having other people take on the responsibilities since childhood, and they were not willing to take on any responsibility on their own, or do anything on their own initiative, because all of that meant going out and working.