My Zone 9b Backyard Garden
Hi! I’m Kate, and I’ve been gardening in my Rancho Cordova (Sacramento area) backyard for over 10 years now, learning mostly by trial & error… but also from books (THIS ONE! it’s the best) and a basic Intro to Horticulture class I took at ARC with the amazing horticulturist Debbie Flower, the year before she retired.
We have healthy, fresh, organic produce available right in the backyard, and it’s so fulfilling learning to grow, to preserve, and to provide nourishing veggies to my family. You would be surprised how much food can be grown at home; I think that a common misconception living in the suburbs is thinking that we need to sell our house and buy a homestead out in the country in order to have enough room. But that’s not feasible for many, and why move 100 miles away when you can start small in your own backyard first?
Learning to grow veggies can be overwhelming, and I want to help. Growing in backyards is different than in a nice plot of wide open land in the country with perfectly placed rows of crops. There are neighboring trees and fence shade factors; unusual backyard shapes and sunlight paths, patios and space limitations, watering constraints to back corners of the yard, and so on. And, of course, a backyard is still being lived in, so keeping it well maintained and visually appealing is a plus, too. I have kids and dogs to keep in mind, my most favorite of garden pests. 😉
For brand new backyard gardeners, I recommend starting small and expanding as you learn. Start with one bed and some containers, and over time your backyard can transform and make a real impact on providing produce for your kitchen. It’s not about providing enough food to never buy produce again – that is a bit much. But do try to eat everything you successfully grow, and the grocery store or farmers market is still there for the rest.
Another benefit of growing food in my backyard is that I’ve given my children a natural comfort with picking fresh food for snacks or meals, and I hope it leads to an everlasting love for gardening that they will continue on their own as they grow up. Giving my youngest the freedom to plant and pick and weed and “help” (even if it’s not truly helping…) has instilled a pride in her for the things we grow, and she loves to eat veggie snacks and try new varieties. In our experience, growing own own food has made eating vegetables much more fun.
So what am I doing here?
Well, I want to share what I’ve learned, what has worked for me – or didn’t! I post how-to videos, recommendations, tutorials, experiments and all things going on in my garden. I am very passionate about people having their own backyard gardens, and I want to help beginners get started, as well as grow a friendly community of gardeners to swap success stories and fails. The beautiful thing about gardens is that no two are the same. What works in one may not in another, or maybe one year it does and another it doesn’t.
We never, ever stop learning when it comes to gardening, so let’s be kind, be gracious and Happy Gardening!
So future gardeners, new gardeners, and experienced gardeners, lets help each other and grow our zone 9b garden community! My posts are open for comments and suggestions, I want to hear from you and see your beautiful harvests, too!