This year we are going to do it. We are planting a garden. It may wind up just being a few plants, I have to carefully consider things like the limitations of space, the griping that will surely come from Mr. Grumpy, the money I don’t really have to spend on supplies, and the constraints of time and energy.
But, planting a garden is a sure way to save money on groceries this summer. It is a way for me to reconnect with earth and with the cycles of the seasons. It is an activity that can be shared with my husband and my children.
I plan to pick up seedlings for the veggies we eat the most (tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers) as well as herbs. I also want to plant a few things from seed sown directly outside (corn, carrots).
I am also hoping to try my hand at canning this year. I do not have the money for a pressure canner, but I can put up fruits in a hot water bath. We plan to hit the pick your own places this summer and put up things like peach preserves and brandied cherries.
I am hoping to acquire a food dehydrator and a vacuum sealer this summer as well though I am joining Freecycle in an effort to perhaps get what I need without having to spend a fortune.
Not much else in terms of news that is fit to print. I am behind on everything thanks to catching a nasty upper respiratory infection from Princess Nibbles and wish more than I can say that my employer provided paid time off. Today is work (telemarketing when sick is tortuous) and tonight I have to take Miss Artistic to get her hair cut.
Hope you are all well.
Be blessed!
Mama Kelly
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By mystic99 on Feb 18, 2009 |
Just remember that when growing the likes of cucumber and tomatoes, they are very sensitive to the cold, so usually need to planted in a glasshouse. Make sure the frosts of the year are over before planting the seedlings.
If you are planting them outside, a good outside tomato plant is the Russian Red, it’s very sweet and has a high yield.
Native Americans have a good planting system for a small garden. Plant sweetcorn with beans and pumpkins. The sweetcorn provides support for the beans to grow up, the beans put nitrogen back into the soil that the sweetcorn and pumpkin uses, and the pumpkin gives good groundcover to stop too many weeds coming through! I tried it this year – great!!
By jackie on Feb 18, 2009 |
I have a ton of seeds and now I need to find someone that has a rotor-tiller so I can get started…i love gardening.
jackie´s last blog post..FREYJA TACKLES LOVE
By Olde Dame Penniwig on Feb 19, 2009 |
Don’t forget that you can blanch a lot of vegetables and then freeze them. If you put them in gallon freezer bags, but not real full, and freeze them like flat tiles or bricks of food you can stack quite a few into a freezer.
I have found that estate sales and garage sales are very good for finding lots of canning jars cheap.
I think you are wise to buy seedlings for most of the plants, I find they often grow better and pay for themselves easily.
Olde Dame Penniwig´s last blog post..Yer Eyes Will Be Poppin Allright
By Mama Kelly on Feb 22, 2009 |
Hi all!
I am so excited about planting vegetables again this year – we haven’t in such a long time. I wish I could start from seeds (especially with all the lovely heirlooms available) but seedlings will be what we’ll work with and we will be sure to wait until after the frost is certainly behind us.