PAGE 8 The Missaukee Sentinel – April 16, 2010

Roots Repair & Quick Lube1551 S. Morey Road, Lake City • (231) 839-3202

Brakes, Oil Change,

Tune-Up, Tires, Tire Rotation,

Etc.

4363

Rentals

Tune Up For SPRING!Bring

in your vehicle for a checkup

McCrimmon’sFarm & Feeds

314 Mill Street, Marion(231) 743-2975 or

Toll Free (877) 743-2975

Bagged Lime and Fertilizer

Propane FillDNR Licenses

Feed Corn & Garden Seeds now in 1774

The Landing, Inc.901 N. Al Moses Road, Lake City

(231) 839-7269 “A Higher Level of Service”

Owners Tony Montague & Rick Morris invite you to stop in for all your service needs

on watercraft, snowmobiles, boats.

14572351

Al M

oses

Sanborn

M-6

6|Broadway

Lagoon

Full Service

Marine & Storage

NorthCountry Homes

8515 E. M-115, Cadillac • www.northcountryhomes.org

(231) 775-1326OPEN 6 DAYS: Mon.-Sat. 10AM-4PM • Anytime by appointment

4836

Factory Authorized – All 2009 lot models must go. No reasonable offer will be refused. Call now!

Financing Available

If the thought of growing a lovely vegetable garden is ap-pealing but you’re overwhelmed and intimidated by the thought of starting your own garden, set your fears aside and get on the garden-ing bandwagon.

Recent studies show an influx of new gardeners. The Garden Writers Association Foundation researched trends in edibles gar-dening and found over 41 million households in the United States grew a vegetable garden in 2009. A trend has to be hot when the White House gets in on the ac-tion.

Mrs. Obama’s vegetable gar-den is getting a lot of attention in 2010. It has starred in a couple of popular television shows (Iron Chef and Biggest Loser), supplied produce for the White House kitchen and yielded surplus veg-etables for donation to a local food shelter.

Growing your own produce makes a lot of sense. Much of the produce in local supermarkets grows hundreds – sometimes thousands – of miles away before coming to your counter. Travel takes a toll on freshness. The veggies and fruits may look fine, but they won’t be as flavorful as something you grow in your own yard.

Growing a garden is easier than you might think.

First, select a location. If you want to grow vegetables, your garden needs to be in a sunny spot. Trees or buildings cast shadows so take them into account when choosing the garden plot.

Next, decide on your garden’s size and shape. If this is your first foray into gardening, a pre-packaged gardening kit would be easy and helpful.

Barb Westbrook, a Texas gar-dener, planted a new vegetable garden using a Raised Garden Kit from Easy Gardener. “It was so easy to put together,” said Westbrook. “It took less than 30 minutes. We put down a layer of WeedBlock®, added three bags of soil and put in the plants.” The kits come with pre-formed borders -- 48” round or 42.5” square -- made from eco-friendly recycled wood flour. All gardeners have to do is add soil, plants and fertilizer. (Visit www.easygardener.com for more information.)

Now comes the best part: choose the things you want to grow. If it is your first garden, don’t be overly ambitious. Stick with two or three reliable growers. You can’t go wrong with tomatoes or herbs. If you like squash, plant zucchini and you will have bounty

galore for sharing with family and friends. Your local county exten-sion agent and Master Gardener organization offer advice and as-sistance. Don’t hesitate to turn to them if you need help.

Follow the planting instructions that come with the plants you purchase, and be sure to follow spacing recommendations.

It won’t take long for planting time to turn into harvest time. One bite into your first homegrown produce, you’ll be smiling to beat the band and planning what to grow next year.

Plant a garden with new kit bag

One of the easiest ways to start a garden is using a raised garden.