“If you are serious about growing your own food, you should consider investing some time and effort sourcing out quality pig feet.”
Welcome to the inaugural post of 2009 Home Gardening Secrets. Although it does not presently pass as “common knowledge” or “received wisdom”, I have come to realize the benefits of planting a lucky pig foot deep in your backyard – if part of the shank is still attached, all the better. As always, we recommend using the lucky feet from well cared for heritage breeds, and please remember to blanch your trotter before planting.
If at all possible, it is better to do this in early spring, as this will allow plenty of time for the pig foot to spread its good energy throughout the garden. Once done, you can relax. No need to water, weed or fertilize as the great pig spirit will ensure that these technicalities do not get in the way of a memorable harvest. I had my brother (pictured above) send me an extra trotter that he had back in the spring, so it should be smooth sailing from here on in.
Background: This is my third attempt at a garden in British Columbia. Last year was as good as could be expected for my modest gardening skill-set. Zucchini, sweet peppers, celery, and herbs (chives, rosemary, thyme, mint, oregano, summer savory, parsley) were a huge success. Tragedy did strike in the tomato fields though (measuring 4 X 3 1/4 feet). The tomato plants were doing great, full of fruit, and so I had been making plans of how to use them all and who would be lucky enough to receive them…3 days later they were all dead. The basil, dill, hot peppers, and strawberries were also big disappointments last year.
Home Garden 2009:
So I’ve signed back up for the emotional roller coaster known as home gardening in 2009. I learn slow, but I do learn. Among a handful of new gardening skills, I now know what mulching means and so I have given that a go. I also have a decent homemade composting set-up using an old stone laundry sink that was left in the backyard. I still need to find out how often and with what I should be fertilizing with, but I’ve got a few weeks to figure that out. Here’s what I’m growing this year:
- Lettuce (Romaine, Head, Mesculen)
- Spinach
- Bok Choy
- Tomatoes (Roma, Cherry, Supersonic)
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Cauliflower
- Peppers (Jalapeno, Hungarian, Banana)
- Leeks
- Spanish Onions
- Herbs (Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Oregano, Summer Savory, Italian Parsley, and Mint).
I’ll update the garden throughout the summer and share any gardening knowledge that I come across. Websites such as Local Delicious in Vancouver have some great posts regarding urban gardening. I’ve learned lots at this site over the past few weeks, and it was here that I found out about the sleek and fashionable rain barrels available to Vancouver residents at a subsidized price. Good stuff. You can find out more at Local Delicious at the City of Vancouver’s Rain Barrel Program.
Wishing you full crops in 2009!