Hello
New Food Garden's Mission
To feed people with fresh food they grow themselves. To help people successfully garden in tough climates. To help others make a connection with the living world.
About NFG
I began my gardening journey as a child, but took a long break going through college and moving around. When I became a stay-at-home mom, I rediscovered the joy of raising plants, digging in the dirt and feeling sunshine on my face. Since then I have built a career in grocery and food systems, but the best food is still harvested fresh in the home garden. I believe we can improve our diet right out our back door.
New food garden focus areas
Growing Food
Growing food can be harder than people think. While this site is not intended to provide basic gardening instruction, it will offer information and resources to help gardeners be more successful at raising food. Even small harvests contribute vitamins, minerals and fiber to your diet.
Minimal Expense
Gardening should not require expensive tools, fertilizers or other inputs. One benefit of biointensive gardening is that the system creates fertility and efficiency, reducing the need for machinery and chemicals. While I do purchase some things to make the work easier, I have largely found fertilizers unnecessary if I am caring for the soil.
Ecological Principles
Gardening in harmony with nature instead of against is a core focus of New Food Garden. This makes every garden unique and place-based. Here in the desert Southwest United States, most gardening advice would be unusable because it's usually centered on wet, acidic soils. I focus on this desert region, but the fundamental skills of observation and adaptation needed here should be helpful to gardeners in any environment or climate.
Healthy Food Systems
The food systems in place today largely lack nutrients we need to be healthy. Whenever you eat more vegetables, your nutrition improves. What better way to get those vegetables than growing them? Picked at peak ripeness and eaten fresh on site ensures the highest nutrient density. What's more, gardening has many aspects that are linked to improved mental health, such as physical activity, care for living things and contact with sunlight, fresh air and soil.