Growing food crops at home is a great way to get spray-free produce into your diet at a good price.
You can take the simple approach, by randomly planting fruit trees around the place and digging up a likely patch of soil for a vegetable garden. However, you'll get a much better result if you take the time to study your property and plan your garden out well, taking into account your soil, the elements, your climate and the types of plants you want to grow. That's where books like Kay Baxter's Design your own orchard are invaluable.
Kay is a tutor at New Zealand's Koanga Institute, where she takes workshops on everything from Biointensive Growing to Permaculture Design. She knows her stuff. So if you can't get down to one of her courses, reading a book by her is the next best thing. If you've got a blank canvas to work with, Design your own orchard is an excellent resource to help you get started planning, preparing and planting your orchard and garden.
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