How does your garden grow?

Well, this will be my third year planting a backyard vegetable garden. I gotta admit, I am terrible at it. I have what you might call a brown thumb as opposed to a green thumb. Every single plant I buy dies. Whether it's over watering, under watering, or just plain neglect I can't seem to get it right. But, I am determined to keep at it. I have had success with tomatoes, radishes and zucchini and it is well worth it. There are so many benefits to home gardening.

• Obviously, you will save a ton of money growing your own food. You will have to invest a few bucks into seeds, compost, and maybe some plant food, but after that it is mostly a time investment.
• You can control the amount of chemicals sprayed on your food. Even if you choose to use some Round-up, it will be much less than what is used on conventional produce.
• Nutrients in fresh produce start to diminish as soon as it is picked. Food in the grocery store can be weeks old, so home grown foods have more nutrients.
• As I stated above, produce in grocery stores is old and doesn't last nearly as long as local produce. Grocers also cut the tops of onions and tamper with vegetables so they look nicer, but rot quicker.
• Last, but not least, home grown food just tastes better. It hasn't been tampered with (i.e. irradiated, refrigerated or genetically modified)and is fresh and delicious.

Check out some local gardening classes and start your garden this spring.

Thursday, April 21- The Ogden Nature Center will be holding a class about using environmentally friendly practices to keep bugs, pests and weeds out of your garden. This class is from 6-7:30pm and is $5 for non-members and $3 for members.
Friday, April 22- In conjunction with Earth Day, the Weber County Library's main branch will be hosting a class all about composting. Composting is a great way to recycle food waste into perfect plant food and fertilizer. The class starts at 4pm and is free. As a bonus, they will be passing out free vegetable and flower seeds.

Do you have any great tips or interesting stories about your garden?