I have had a garden off and on for over 20 years but one thing I have never grown until this year is lettuce.  Don’t ask me why I have never tried growing lettuce because I don’t have an answer for you.  I can say that I will be growing lettuce from now on because store bought lettuce cannot compare.

Have you been under the impression like I have that lettuce has no taste?  It’s just not true.  Fresh lettuce has a great taste and you can eat it as you garden if you’d like.  I can have a salad as I pick through the garden and it is good for me, tastes great and is safe.

If you live somewhere where you don’t have a place to garden, try putting lettuce, tomatoes, spinach and other vegetables you like in a pot, basket or raised bed.  You can do this on a balcony, some ledges and stoops.  Another thing you might try is group gardening.  I’ve done this before with people who wanted to garden but didn’t have the space.  We all pitched in and shared the work as well as the harvest.  No matter how you do it, you can garden.

Over the last few days since the information on tomatoes came out in the news, almost everyone I have talked too has said that they are contemplating a garden to grow their own food.  What struck me funny is, last year my oldest son was visiting right when my garden was starting to produce and he asked me, “Why have vegetable gardens when you can get everything you need from the grocery store?”

I went on to explain to him that I enjoyed it.  There is something very therapeutic when you get your hands in dirt.  Now I’m seeing it may be the way we feed ourselves in the future; backyard gardens and greenhouses.  In fact, there might be a time that the guy or gal that knows how to “grow things” is a very sought after commodity.

With that said, this may be a great time to start a small container gardens for those eatables that will be ready for a late summer or an early fall harvest.  At some point, you may want to invest in a hobby greenhouse so you can have your own garden almost year round.  Of course it will depend on where you live as well as your climate, etc., and there are a lot to choose from so you will need to do your research.

Everybody knows the internet is a great place to investigate your choices as to what and when to grow and how to grow it.  Another great resource for help is your state’s agriculture department.  They should be able to help you with all types of information tailored to your state’s particular region.  Some state agriculture departments will also run detailed soil analysis on the dirt you are using.  Check first to make sure you live in a state where this is available.  Once you have this information, you can take the necessary steps to improve your soil for optimum growing.

A greenhouse is a structure that normally has a glass or plastic roof and sometimes glass or plastic walls that cause the air to it heat up due to incoming solar radiation from the sun. This keeps the plants warm as well as other things inside the building.

Backyard greenhouses are a great deal of fun and a great value for your money. Most backyard greenhouse kits require no permanent foundation and can be set up quickly in your yard. Make sure you get a greenhouses kit that can be put together without the need to hire a contractor as this will both save you money and give your entire family a fun DYI project!

Greenhouses have vents to move fresh air in and around the inside of the greenhouse to facilitate healthy plants. Make sure you have the needed supplies and accessories to make your greenhouse experience a pleasant one.