Monday, March 5, 2012

A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together...


Turn, turn, turn...
    

      Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping at Garbers’ Gardens! This blog will focus mainly on a large organic garden I’ll be starting this year. I named it after my grandparents, Dick and Marcia Garber. When I was a kid they owned three houses on a beautiful piece of land in southeastern Wisconsin, right on the shores of the great Lake Michigan. They were two of the most genuine, generous, and hard-working people I’ve ever met. Growing up I watched them spend hour after hour in the garden planting beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. The lush vegetation created fresh, oxygen-rich air that, mixed with the lake breeze made a tangible peace and serenity I will hold with me the rest of my life.

Garbers' garden in its heyday
Try to stop me from gardening!
Takin' a break in the summer sun

Grandma and Grandpa have since passed on to the next phase of the Great Journey, and the property has regrettably lost some of its former luster without their green thumbs. However, I believe it’s still loaded with potential, and with a lot of love and sweat I can get it back to something they would be proud of. Gardening is in my genes; my parents have continued the tradition at their house, and I’m ready to follow in their footsteps as I take on this challenge.

The 'rents backyard.  They have day jobs too.
Mom and me in the garden
I’m going to document step-by-step the entire process of backyard farming including composting, preparing garden beds, starting seeds, rain collection, and much more. I’ll also supplement the blog with instructional videos, so you can see exactly how I use organic techniques to produce my own delicious and nutritious food. In addition to the garden, I’ll also visit topics such as nutrition, sustainability, freedom, self-sufficiency, and whatever else is floating my boat at the time.
Just helpin' Ma with some digging!
So again, thank you for joining me in this endeavor. I plan on making this blog entertaining and informative, and through my trials and tribulations I hope I can help experienced gardeners with techniques and ideas, and inspire new gardeners to join the movement. Local, sustainable farming is absolutely essential for freedom. We must feed ourselves to lead ourselves.
Peace.