It seems to me I’ve spent most of my life striving to stay out of overwhelm. I find life to be much more enjoyable that way — not to mention that I get a lot more done and without the stress that can be associated with being busy.
Winter arrived here this week. I was prepared I thought. Had planned several major things like our tax returns and reviewing some internet classes to help me be a better teacher via TMG and FlowerBorders.info. Also planned a bit of research to see what’s “out there” for organic gardeners in the internet world.
I was into information overload and overwhelm after only a few hours of reviewing some of my classes because I realized how little I knew and how much I had to learn about the technical part of websites. That’s not one of my favorite things to study — and I find a lot of it very boring — but I keep at it little by little so I can know enough to make my sites even better.
Fortunately for us all — organic gardening is much more simple than computer stuff — although marketing would have you think otherwise.
Then I did a little research to enlighten me on what other folks were doing and saying about organic gardening.
A Course on Organic Gardening
I happened to come across the website of someone I “knew” who has been an organic gardener for 8 years. This person is now offering a paid course on organic gardening. The content of the course was of particular interest to me. I was anxious to compare what they thought a person needed to know to be successful in organic gardening with what I thought they needed to know.
At my first glance — I saw immediately we were on different wave lengths as to what we felt was necessary to know to be successful. (Necessary being the keyword here.)
Some of the first topics in the table of contents that my eyes fell on were:
- how soil forms
- how to determine soil texture and structures,
- cation exchange capacity and NHC (nutrient holding capacity)
- choosing a soil lab
All of these things can be interesting — but had I thought I had to know all this before I started gardening — I would have been very discouraged and into overwhelm right up front. Fortunately, I didn’t know about any of it and picked up my shovel and went to work.
That was 35 years ago and although now I understand what those topics are about and find them interesting — I absolutely know you don’t need to know those things to be successful in organic gardening.
As I continued to review the contents of the course, I was pleased to see there were some topics that we both felt were important. I’m almost certain however this course approaches most of them from a conventional “what-is-usually-done” viewpoint. Here are a few topics that were in the course and that I’ve also covered in posts on TMG. (I’ve covered many more than this — but just wanted to give you a sampling.)
- seed starting
- winter gardening (cold frames, floating row covers)
- growing mediums
- raised beds (the paid course tells you how to build them using hammer and nails; I tell you how to do it with a shovel)
- discussions on various vegetables (I have a feeling I give you much more tomatoes, lettuce, onions, potatoes and a few others)
- saving seed
- crop rotation
- succession planting
- hand pollinating
- dividing plants
- pruning
- watering
- landscape design
- permaculture
- compost
- cover crops
- organic insecticides
- organic pesticides
- how to control slugs
- double digging and sheet mulching
- improving soil with organic matter
- peat moss
- grass clipping and leaves as mulch (and other mulches)
Bottom Line
Gardening — unlike the computer stuff — is very simple. You don’t have to know anything complicated to get started and to be successful. Nature knows all the complex stuff that needs doing. All you have to do is the simple stuff and make her your partner.
Final Thoughts – Free Information , Information that costs, and the Future
I’ve been an organic gardener for 35 years and I know what works. I’ve passed a lot of what I know on to you through the posts of TMG at no cost to you and have been happy to do so.
Unfortunately many people need to pay money for something to feel it is of value. That’s a statistical fact.
If you’re a reader of TMG you’re obviously not one of those people. And from what I hear from those who follow my advice — I think you already know what I do works. I hope you will continue to take advantage of TMG and FlowerBorders.info while they’re up and running.
For the past six months I’ve been working on something that I’ll charge for in the future. I’ve also been planning something that I’ll give freely to all who want it. It will contain all the information one really needs to know to start gardening successfully. And the table of contents won’t be very long. 😉
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Related Posts:
Gardening – Keep it Simple Because it Is
Organic Gardening – A Simple Concept
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Your article saddened me today. I know everyone needs to be able to support themselves and their families; that is a fact. Many times though, people, myself included are searching the internet for ways to help our familes make it in this economy. Extra money is not always an option. I would never tell anyone not to sell something, that would be wrong on my part. I will say that if someone asks for money to share information I weigh it carefully and most of the time pass it over. I feel like this; if the Good Lord gives it to you then you should give it away. If you get it on your own, then charge for it. Then I will make a determination if I will buy. God Bless You! I pray God will abundantly bless you as you abundantly bless others. Thank You.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and encourage your readers to get out there and garden! I look forward to your posts. I love the fact that you believe we should simplify as much as possible.
I found your site a few weeks ago but I wish I had found it when I first started out.
Hi Patricia,
I don’t really understand why my post saddened you — but I’m sorry that it did. There is a wealth of information on TMG that is available to you at no charge. It took me 3 years to put it there. If I were starting out and looking for information to help me — that would be very encouraging to me.
My husband and I spent more than 20 years in severe poverty. We had no internet to search. The reason I started to garden was so we could have something to eat. So I totally understand about extra money not being an option.
You can garden without any help at all, but it really is nice when someone with experience and know-how helps you along. It puts you way ahead when you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Regarding God giving us things — I feel he gives us everything. But we are responsible for developing and increasing our talents and abilities to best of our ability so that each of us can provide for our daily needs.
Again — I hope you will benefit greatly from the hundreds of hours I have spent giving you the information you need to garden successfully —- free of charge.
Wishing you every success,
Theresa
Susan, thank you so much for taking time to comment and offer words of encouragement. I really appreciated them!
I am delighted that you found TMG and hope you will greatly benefit from it. Keep me posted on how you are doing and let me know if you have questions.
Theresa
I love your articles. I can’t wait until you post them and I read them carefully. You have taught me so much and for that I am grateful. You were talking about someone you knew asking for money for basically the same info you give away. Americans are hurting right now and scared for themselves and their families. If it weren’t for wonderful people like yourself, there would be little hope for them. I see gardens being planted everywhere even in pots. This will help families that otherwise couldn’t afford food. We have so many hurting here in North Carolina. I am thankful for people like you and sad that in this ecoonomy more and more bloggers are going to a pay-me-first-before-you-read plan. God Bless You
Thank you for your site & all of the wonderful tips. I’m on a fixed income myself & having the garden plot in the apt complex where I live is a GIFT! As is your site. It saves me so much money on fresh vegetables, & herbs, not to mention the serenity & peace I feel when I’m out in my spot.
Thank you Theresa!
It has been a pleasure Anniegi! Especially rewarding when I get comments like yours. Thank YOU!
Theresa
Theresa, I’ve said it before, and it’s worth saying again – your time and effort and knowledge is very valuable and the fact that you share it makes me so, so grateful. My garden has doubled in productivity since I started reading here. You are a gem!
The fact that your garden has doubled in productivity since you starting reading TMG is very exciting! I am thrilled that I could be of that kind of help to you.
As I told Laura (another reader) recently when I replied to one of her comments — there is no reason anyone can’t be very successful in gardening!
Thanks Sandra!