Gardening news from Elsewhere

I've started planning my 2010 garden, and I've come across a few articles I thought you might find interesting.

How's this for innovative? You have a yard but don't have the time or knowledge to plant a garden? These people will do the work for you! Check out Your Backyard Farmer. This also gave me an idea -- people sometimes comment on the blog that they wish they could have a garden, but they live in an apartment. Well, if you know someone who has a yard, maybe the two of you could team up to have a garden?

If you live in the New Orleans area and want a garden planted, you can help to feed the hungry while growing your own food. The Latinos Farmer Cooperative will install and plant a raised-bed garden in your backyard for $275, which includes three consultations during the growing season. Volunteers do all the work, and your $275 goes to a food pantry.

Urban gardening keeps getting more and more popular. In Kansas City, they're debating whether or not a home gardener can hire interns, as well as whether people can sell their produce from their yard.

If your really want to get inspired, here's a town in England that has a goal of being self sufficient in food production by 2018. From the progress they've made so far, I'm predicting they'll do it. They're planting gardens everywhere, and they're teaching classes in gardening, cooking, foraging, canning, and even chicken butchering. The article goes on and on about all the things they're doing. It's really fascinating.

And here's a story from South Carolina about a middle school that started its own garden.

If you're still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a gardener in your life (or a wanna-be gardener), here's an article that recommends several good books on gardening. Of course, you could also buy one or two of these for yourself.

Today I'm going to decide what I want in my 2010 garden, inventory my current stock of seeds, and start going through the seed catalogs!