In his biography, My Life & Work, Henry Ford, he who gave us the assembly-line automobile, says: “If we live in smaller communities where the tension of living is not so high, and where the products of fields and gardens can be had without the interference of so many profiteers, there will be little poverty or unrest” [p.88]

Even so! He who is revered as a sort of god by the citizens of Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World goes on to note that:

“If a man is in constant fear of the industrial situation, he ought to change his life so as not to be dependent upon it. There is always the land, and fewer people are on the land now than ever before. If a man lives in fear of an employer’s favour changing towards him, he ought to extricate himself from dependence on any employer. He can become his own boss”. [p.320]

These excerpts from Ford were quoted in the 22 Jan 1927 issue of G.K.’s Weekly, the premiere periodical for folk of discerning taste, apart from our own, of course. They were quoted under the heading of “Saul Among the Prophets.” A fitting title indeed, good sirs, a fitting title indeed!

Welcome to The Good Green Gardens. Here, you will learn how to prevent the encroachment of The Lawn and encourage organisms in their struggle. I have not been a gardener on my own for long, but that I come from a long line of gardeners and farmers and thus, have been gardening for as long as time can remember. I hope these little tips will help all of you budding organic farmers and hydroponic experimenters.

My grandfather once told me that “All real gardeners hate grass.” This doesn’t mean that a bit of grass growing here and there between the flagstones isn’t pleasant enough, but the blasted stuff will try to grow anywhere and everywhere, so you’d better be prepared to work against it. The following advice was given to me by Mr. Robert Waldrop, Oklahoma City Catholic Worker and proprietor of several excellent websites concerned with justice and stewardship. I here paraphrase Mr. Waldrop’s lesson in how to make a garden when all you have to work with is a lawn. Note that this is emphatically only the first several steps.

1. Lay down 3 or 4 inches (8 centimetres or so) of mulch* (not compost) in about the size and shape of your desired garden, right on top of the grass. My first garden was maybe 5 by 10 feet (1.5 by 3 metres) and I was quite able to care for the whole thing. (*Mulch includes dried leaves and grass clippings, and other such dried, dead vegetable stuff. Most areas (such as Arlington, VA) have places where you can get mulch absolutely for free. Check your local community for more information.)

2. Put some brown cardboard on top of this. I know how this sounds, but trust me. Try not to use cardboard that has lots and lots of printing on it. None of the glossy stuff that personal computers and plastic dollhouses come in, either. The cardboard keeps ground plants from coming up, for the most part.

3. Surround the bed with logs* or use lumber and your own carpentry skills to build some basic walls for the bed. I’ve also used stones, as they can be more aesthetically pleasing. Make sure the cardboard is under this barrier. (*If you do not live in a wooded area, firewood can be handy here, although there is the risk of insect infestation. I once scared up a whole swarm of stinging something-or-anothers when I was moving around the wooden barriers on my garden. No permanent damage, but be prepared to create an environment friendly to life in all its forms.)

4. Put down another couple of inches (~10 cm) of mulch (dried leaves and grass-clippings) on top of the cardboard.

5. Top this with about an inch (~5 cm) of soil mixed with compost. There is no science to this mix, but a little less compost than soil is probably best.

6. Plant your seeds into this layer of soil/compost, and then lightly mulch. Of course, if you are setting out plants/seedling, then mulch much heavier around the plants. Once the seeds sprout and poke through the mulch, add more mulch around the new baby plants, being careful not to bury them alive.

7. As you build the beds, you should also put cardboard over the paths between them, and out a couple of feet from the outer boundaries of the beds. Cover that what mulch, deeply, 3 or 4 inches. Don’t use leaves here, though, use wood chips or grass clippings. This cardboard will help with weeds and grass.

8. Lie down in your new garden, but don’t crush your new plants. Enjoy the soil and be prepared to get your hands dirty.

For the most part, beds made in this fashion will never need tiling. As long as you keep them well mulched, this attracts earthworms and they do the tilling for you. Oh, and the older such beds are, the better. Just be sure to completely dig up whatever plants die at the end of the season or whenever and keep the mulch coming. If your soil seems lacking, add a bit more, always mixed with compost.

Stephen and Shelby have been discussing the starting of a recession garden in back of Stephen's humble abode. Yeah - things can go down the tubes and the price of food will go up quite a bit along with other common goods. Now you can be prepared for the worst or heck... if nothing happens you can at least get a green thumb and enjoy the wonders of growing things you can eat! 2008 is the time to start a recession garden! Start yours today and post photographs of what you do... more articles to come with gardening tips and more! Take that 'mercan money and buy some seeds and eat up! FULL STEAMPUNK AHEAD!!