Hound dog
Nana's are Beautiful
We all know the economy stinks, food prices are steadily climbing up (even with coupons), despite what they assure us on the news.
So how many of us have planted gardens this year and what are you growing? Do you plan to store some of it away?
I have one of my garden plots finished. It consists of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cucumbers, sweet peppers, it will be finished off today with green beans, and is trimmed in strawberry plants. The 2nd plot that I plan to dig out after Aubrey's birthday party at her great grandparents cabin down in the hills........will have spring onions, sweet onions, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, zucchini. Tomatoes are being planted in 5 gallon buckets from Lowes with trellises (I've changed my mind about hanging them as this will work just as well and I picked up the trellises for a buck each) I'm considering a pumpkin patch but haven't decided yet. I'll have sweet corn too, organic by the way........reg sweet corn is now biodesigned to have it's own pesticide and I have no desire to eat pesticide. I'll have my blue berry bushes. And I'm still trying to decide if I'm giving the raspberry/blackberry bushes to easy child or if I'm keeping them and planting them. (not thrilled with the idea they may try to take over the yard after dealing with a jungle of weeds)
In addition, I have herbs growing in pots all over the place. I bought easy child a food dehydrator for xmas........so we can dry them, grind them in our mortar and pestles and put them up into jars.
Nichole will be sharing in the bounty of the garden. She shared in the work. What we can't eat fresh, we will can and put up or dry for soups and stews, or turn into jams and jellies and spaghetti sauces, and freeze ect.
The prices of fruits and veggies are awful.........and if you'd like organic, it's enough to make you faint clear away. So the garden is a good solution.
I have found an Amish source for free range eggs that is just as cheap as krogers reg eggs and for real homemade (omg heavenly!) butter that is just as cheap as most margarine tubs, certainly cheaper than real butter sold in the stores. Best part about this source is that the gas station 2 blocks from me lets them sell there for free, so every friday and sat I can go buy my eggs and butter. (and real butter freezes just fine by the way)
I'm also setting aside a percentage for the food pantry. Because I know what I'm planting and I have a good guesstimate of what it should yield. And even with easy child, nichole and I all doing the canning, freezing, and drying we'd probably keel over if we tried to do it with all of it. Highland county still has the 2nd highest unemployment rate in Ohio. (doesn't surprise me) And I'm sure those who use the food pantry would be thrilled for some fresh fruit and veggies too.
Oh, a great fact I didn't know but just recently learned: YOU CAN USE YOUR FOODSTAMPS TO BUY SEEDS AND FRUIT PLANTs!! So for those who are having to have this help, the govt started this encouraging folks to start growing their own gardens and getting the most bang for their buck, so to speak.
And you can buy organic fertilizer that if you shop around can be competitive with normal fertilizer.
And I'll be paying attention to responses. It has been a very long time since I last put in a garden, and I am attempting some plants that my dad never grew, so I may bug you to death with questions. LOL
easy child is already bugging me about "not planning out my garden in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) detail". But I don't do plants that way, never have. I just put them in where I want them and water them and they grow. it's never been an issue, it's not something I fret about. It used to drive mother in law insane how I did that and yet everything grew just fine and usually flourished........I often have annual flowers turn into perennials and that really drove her nuts. She was a tad anal retentive over her veggie and flower gardens.......and did not get the same results no matter how hard she tried. (and she was good at it too, had nice gardens) But that is how my dad did it and he's who taught me. My mom used to be all over him that he was planting this plant too close to that one or not giving this one enough room and he just did what he did anyway and it all grew just fine regardless. lol So in my opinion, easy child is over worrying her garden..........while I'm just, well "doing it". I give plants room, I just don't over do it and waste space. I have a general idea of how they will look as adult plants. Know what I mean??
So what are you all planting and planning to do with it?
So how many of us have planted gardens this year and what are you growing? Do you plan to store some of it away?
I have one of my garden plots finished. It consists of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cucumbers, sweet peppers, it will be finished off today with green beans, and is trimmed in strawberry plants. The 2nd plot that I plan to dig out after Aubrey's birthday party at her great grandparents cabin down in the hills........will have spring onions, sweet onions, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, zucchini. Tomatoes are being planted in 5 gallon buckets from Lowes with trellises (I've changed my mind about hanging them as this will work just as well and I picked up the trellises for a buck each) I'm considering a pumpkin patch but haven't decided yet. I'll have sweet corn too, organic by the way........reg sweet corn is now biodesigned to have it's own pesticide and I have no desire to eat pesticide. I'll have my blue berry bushes. And I'm still trying to decide if I'm giving the raspberry/blackberry bushes to easy child or if I'm keeping them and planting them. (not thrilled with the idea they may try to take over the yard after dealing with a jungle of weeds)
In addition, I have herbs growing in pots all over the place. I bought easy child a food dehydrator for xmas........so we can dry them, grind them in our mortar and pestles and put them up into jars.
Nichole will be sharing in the bounty of the garden. She shared in the work. What we can't eat fresh, we will can and put up or dry for soups and stews, or turn into jams and jellies and spaghetti sauces, and freeze ect.
The prices of fruits and veggies are awful.........and if you'd like organic, it's enough to make you faint clear away. So the garden is a good solution.
I have found an Amish source for free range eggs that is just as cheap as krogers reg eggs and for real homemade (omg heavenly!) butter that is just as cheap as most margarine tubs, certainly cheaper than real butter sold in the stores. Best part about this source is that the gas station 2 blocks from me lets them sell there for free, so every friday and sat I can go buy my eggs and butter. (and real butter freezes just fine by the way)
I'm also setting aside a percentage for the food pantry. Because I know what I'm planting and I have a good guesstimate of what it should yield. And even with easy child, nichole and I all doing the canning, freezing, and drying we'd probably keel over if we tried to do it with all of it. Highland county still has the 2nd highest unemployment rate in Ohio. (doesn't surprise me) And I'm sure those who use the food pantry would be thrilled for some fresh fruit and veggies too.
Oh, a great fact I didn't know but just recently learned: YOU CAN USE YOUR FOODSTAMPS TO BUY SEEDS AND FRUIT PLANTs!! So for those who are having to have this help, the govt started this encouraging folks to start growing their own gardens and getting the most bang for their buck, so to speak.
And you can buy organic fertilizer that if you shop around can be competitive with normal fertilizer.
And I'll be paying attention to responses. It has been a very long time since I last put in a garden, and I am attempting some plants that my dad never grew, so I may bug you to death with questions. LOL
easy child is already bugging me about "not planning out my garden in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) detail". But I don't do plants that way, never have. I just put them in where I want them and water them and they grow. it's never been an issue, it's not something I fret about. It used to drive mother in law insane how I did that and yet everything grew just fine and usually flourished........I often have annual flowers turn into perennials and that really drove her nuts. She was a tad anal retentive over her veggie and flower gardens.......and did not get the same results no matter how hard she tried. (and she was good at it too, had nice gardens) But that is how my dad did it and he's who taught me. My mom used to be all over him that he was planting this plant too close to that one or not giving this one enough room and he just did what he did anyway and it all grew just fine regardless. lol So in my opinion, easy child is over worrying her garden..........while I'm just, well "doing it". I give plants room, I just don't over do it and waste space. I have a general idea of how they will look as adult plants. Know what I mean??
So what are you all planting and planning to do with it?