Why should I grow my own food?
Homegrown fruits, vegetables and eggs are the most fresh, flavorful and local foods you can eat. The fresher your food, the healthier it is for you. Eating locally minimizes your dependence on food grown thousands of miles from central Virginia (and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions associated with trucking food across the country). If you grow your own garden, you will know exactly how your food is produced and you won't have to worry about ingesting harmful pesticides or herbicides. You won't fall victim to contaminated food or food recalls. And gardening has all kinds of fringe benefits; it's a great way to exercise and spend time with friends and family. And it will encourage you to cook more meals at home, saving you money on eating out.
Does Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest employ organic gardening practices?
Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest is committed to growing fresh, tasty, healthy food without the use of synthetic or chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. We use high-quality compost, fish fertilizer, earthworm castings, compost teas and cover crops to build soil fertility. Weeds are eliminated by hand and with mulches, without the use of harmful herbicides. Most pest problems can be dealt with by row covers and hand-picking pests off plants. When an infestation gets out of hand, as sometimes occurs, only Organic Materials Review Institute-approved sprays are used to treat them. (These include Safer Soap, Hot Pepper or Garlic sprays, etc.)
How much of a time commitment is it to have your own garden?
Tending a garden can be a large and daunting task, but an exceedingly pleasurable one. Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest will work with you to determine the appropriate size and scale for your garden, based on how many people will be eating from it, how often you cook at home and how much work you are interested in putting into it. Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest also offers a suite of maintenance services, from twice weekly weeding and harvesting, to monthly phone consultations to answer questions. These are designed to keep you from feeling overwhelmed by your garden. Depending on your garden's size and the variety of produce you're growing, garden maintenance and harvest should take you no more than one hour per day.
How much space do I need to install a garden?
This really depends on what you want to grow, how many people will be eating from the garden, and how often you would like to harvest. We can design and install garden systems that are as simple as a few containers or a small bed for growing greens for one person, or as complex as a diversified homestead garden with chickens that can feed a family of four year-round. The amount of space will, of course, vary depending on your needs and the amount of sun and usable space available.
My backyard doesn't get full sun all day. What can I grow?
Most vegetable gardens require a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun to thrive. Most fruiting crops (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, corn, beans, peas, okra, melons, squashes) simply won't produce much yield without 6-12 hours of sunshine every day. However, you can still produce homegrown food even if you have a shady backyard. Do you have a sunny porch, stoop, or driveway? Container gardening allows you to grow full-sun plants in moveable pots or planters in order to take advantage of a sunny site that is not conducive to permanent garden beds. Also, some plants do just fine with 4-6 hours of sun per day (or even less). Many greens and root vegetables (lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, carrots, beets, etc) actually prefer the cooler temperatures that shade provides, and don't noticeably decrease in yield if planted in a part-sun, part-shade garden. Mushroom cultivation requires shade, and certain perennial berries (wineberries, strawberries) do fine without full sun. We can work with you to determine what will work best for your site.
I travel quite a bit. What will happen to my garden while I am away?
Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest can schedule regular maintenace while you are away to ensure that your garden will be thriving upon your return. We also partner with the Charlottesville Community Food Project and area food banks to ensure that any produce that is harvested while you are away will be donated to people who need it.
I already have a garden. What can Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest offer me?
Even the most productive garden and the most seasoned gardener can benefit from a garden consultation. Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest provides fresh perspective and extensive knowledge of backyard edible ecosystems. We're available to trouble-shoot, answer questions, and help envision a more productive and less labor-intensive garden. Always had trouble growing tomatoes? We can help. Need help with pest or disease identification? We can help. Interested in maximizing the food production potential of your backyard? We can provide you with comprehensive ideas for increasing your garden's annual and perennial edible output.
I've heard that compost piles can be quite smelly and attract pests. Why should I have one, and what can be done about these problems?
Compost utilizes carbon-based materials that are typically considered waste products (such as grass clippings, food scraps, leaves, spoiled hay, wood chips, and animal manure) and turns them into free, all-natural and organic fertilizer. It is by far the best--and cheapest--way to feed your plants. It does require some investment, however, and the better designed your compost system is, the fewer odor and pest problems you will have with it.
It's August and I am harvesting more out of my garden than I can ever eat. What should I do?
Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest can provide you with hands-on instruction in canning, freezing, and fermentation techniques that will allow you to preserve your harvest for long after the growing season is over. We'll set up shop right in your own kitchen, and utilize the preservation techniques that make the most sense for your diet, your cooking skills and the food you have available.
I'd love to have a garden, but I don't have a yard. What can I grow?
Do you have room on a stoop, balcony or driveway? Or an ample window sill? Believe it or not, it is possible to grow food in tiny spaces, provided there is access to sufficient sunlight and water. We can help you inventory what you have available, and plan these small spaces to maximize your food production.
How long does the growing season last?
With forethought, planning and construction of some specialized beds, you can grow fresh vegetables all year long in central Virginia. If you are interested in a four-season harvest, we can design and build cold frames and row cover systems so that cold-hardy crops can be available through the winter. Keep in mind that not all vegetables are suited to growing through the winter; your best bets are salad greens, beets, carrots, kale, chard, collards, turnips, cabbage, etc. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other warm-season crops can only be grown year-round with the use of a heated greenhouse. A more typical three-season garden can begin producing in late March/early April and continue all the way through to late October or even December, depending on the weather and the type of crops grown.
Why should I keep chickens? How much of a time commitment is it? What kind of space do I need?
Keeping chickens is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh, free-range eggs, year-round. Chickens are surprisingly easy to care for, and thrive in small spaces as long as they have access to sun, grass, fresh feed and water, and a safe, secure coop. In addition to the superior taste of fresh eggs, chickens also contribute wonderful manure for your compost pile, and they can be employed in your garden as expert weeders and predators for garden pests. Additionally, they are incredibly entertaining and a wonderful way to introduce kids to the joys and responsibilities of caring for animals. Chickens do require daily feeding and egg collecting, however, and they are prone to predator problems (hawks, racoons, stray dogs, owls), particularly in rural settings. Predator problems are greatly reduced in urban and suburban areas, and it is perfectly legal to keep chickens within the city of Charlottesville, and in most areas of Albemarle County. However, if you live in a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association, you may want to consult your subdivision's bylaws regarding poultry. Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest can provide complete backyard poultry installation, including backyard coop design and construction, and sourcing laying hens, feed and supplies.
