The Work Free Zone (Garden)

By: Kevin Brown, Ag. Resource Specialist
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Yes, that is what I said, a garden that takes no work.  This is a picture of our garden here at the office.  I mulched it, planted it, spent maybe 15 minutes (total) weeding it at different times, and am now harvesting it.  I know there are a lot of non-believers out there.  My wife said it wouldn’t work.  My co-workers said it wouldn’t work and wanted to know who was going to be the one spending the time needed to weed and water it.  My response was, “if it works the way it is supposed to, no one”.  Even my mother said that when she read the first gardening article, I put out there, “I couldn’t believe your name was associated with it.  You never wanted anything to do with a garden”.  And she is right, I still don’t.  But Voilà !  Here we are.  I can handle a garden if I don’t have to do anything to make it a garden.  Doesn’t everyone like to have super fresh vegetables if all they have to do is go pick them?  Well, you can.

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   To demonstrate this, come on in and take a look.  We have squash.  I know, anyone can grow that, but these are some of the biggest plants I have ever seen.  We have peppers and tomatoes coming out our ears.  We have broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, onions, eggplant (not sure why?   Does anyone use that?), and maybe some others I have forgotten.  I would like to show you how to do it this way and how easy it is.  In order to make this really work, you should start in the fall preparing the seedbed (not on June 20th like we did this year).  Yep, that’s right, the garden wasn’t even planted until June 24th.  Talk about a late start.  Anyway, this year will be different.  This year we, me and anyone who would like to learn the skill set of doing nothing but setting back in your easy-chair and watching things grow, are invited to see a demonstration on how to prepare your garden this fall.  The demonstration will happen this Wednesday, September 25th here at our office- 200 Lake Road, Towanda, PA.  It is right across from the Wysox Fire Hall.  We will start at 6:00 and finish when all questions are answered.  Be prepared to spend a whopping 15 minutes learning how to garden from your easy-chair just like me.  It will be a grueling 15 minutes of hard labor so come prepared.  And hey, if there are any vegetables left at the time, we can divvy them up between all of us.
    One final thought.  Yes, this is easy (and it is the only reason I would even think of doing a garden).  However, the real benefit is soil health and erosion prevention.  You have heard me say it before so I will not bore you with all the details, but cultivation of land is simply the worst thing you can do to soil, bar none.  You kill off soil life, burn up organic matter, destroy structure that helps it accept moisture and soil life to thrive, etc.  It benefits us AND the environment both.  Why not try it? 
   The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.
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