New Resources to Help You Grow

Anytime is a good time to grow food, but because of the need to stay at home and shortages at the store, more people than ever are starting gardens. E.A.T. South is here to help you grow. 

Before we connect you with some of our favorite new gardening resources, we want to share the best thing you can do this year to become a great gardener:

let yourself make mistakes!

Growing food is a learning process, and while you can read all kinds of gardening books and magazines, you have to get outside and get dirty! Everyone, yes, every single gardener, makes mistakes. Every season is different and the secret to growing a productive garden is to keep doing it. Don’t give up! Every year you’ll learn something new, and every year you’ll probably make a new mistake or two. So with that mindset, let’s grow!

Alabama Cooperative Extension provides science-based information on gardening, food safety, bee keeping, backyard chickens and more. Right now, they’re hosting a weekly Urban Green: Back-to-Basics gardening series on Wednesdays. They’ve even created an app to help you identify pests and learn more about different crops. 

We always recommend Extension’s Planting Guide to Home Gardening in Alabama to all gardeners. When should you plant pumpkins? How about a late planting of peppers? The guide is there for you, and if you want to buy a book, the Timber Press Guide to Gardening in the Southeast is your go-to guide for monthly garden projects as well as what to plant every month in our region.

Leah Penniman, farmer, educator and author of Farming While Black, is hosting Ask a Sista Farmer, a weekly Q&A on Fridays. 

For garden tips AND activities to keep the kids busy at home, follow Tuscaloosa’s Schoolyard Roots, and check out their brand new garden tool kit to help you start your garden. If you really want to dive deep into garden curricula, check out the Edible Schoolyard Project’s resources section. 

And if you’re dreaming of building a garden for your neighborhood, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite community garden how-tos here. 

Don’t forget to fill out our oh-so-short survey to let us know how E.A.T. South can help you get your garden growing this year!