Originally posted at the beginning of the pandemic, in May of 2020, this post is
even more relevant this year! Seeds are becoming ever more expensive and in some cases, harder to find. Also, due to current world events (spring 2026) fertilizer and other commercial amendments may also become more expensive and harder to find.
For years, the Sharing Gardens has been anticipating shortages, and higher prices on fertilizers and soil amendments. This is why we've been developing and perfecting our methods of creating soil-fertility from locally available materials such as leaves, grass-clippings, wood ash and coffee-grounds. (See links below).
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| Fertility without fertilizers (commercially-made ones that is...). Sharing Gardens - July 2019 |
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| Sharing Gardens - late July - 2019 |
This year we didn't purchase or use any fertilizers or amendments (including livestock manures) and we created our own potting mix from the worm-castings we harvested from our greenhouse paths, mixed with a courser compost our neighbor produced from hard-wood sawdust, coffee grounds, leaves and grass clippings (with a lot of help from his worms!)
(Spring 2026: this will be our 6th season using 'veganic' methods). Here are articles about this "veganic" method we are using with great success.
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| Lovely compost! |
Making your own "Veganic" (no animal manures) Potting Soil
Grass Clippings and Leaves for Mulch
Coffee Grounds and Wood-Ash for Fertility
The Ground to Ground Primer - Coffee grounds for your Garden
We have seen many headlines, and heard from fellow gardeners about vegetable-seed shortages.
If you would like to learn about saving many of your own seeds, here is a post with info on saving many kinds of seeds in your own garden for use
next year.
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| Saving squash-seeds |
Family Heirlooms: Saving Your Own Seed
Please keep in mind that sustainable gardening practices at a local level will be far more successful if you build cooperative relationships with your neighbors instead of trying to do it all alone. Here is a link to many resources about how to start a Sharing Garden in your own community.
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| Gardening with a group! Many hands make light work... |
