All of the optimism and confidence I had after last year's adventure in gardening was squelched by this year's experience. I was a lousy gardener this year. We had incredibly cool temperatures during the first half of the summer. Then it got ridiculously hot. Then I got ridiculously lazy. I also made some critical mistakes when planting. I had small pest problem that took care of some of my plants. I forget that the harvest comes during our busiest time of year. I learned that … [Read more...]
I was pretty proud of my small square foot garden accomplishments last summer. For a person that lacks a green thumb, the fact that I grew vegetables was a big deal. But this summer, I wanted to be better at it. I wanted to have a beautiful luscious garden brimming with fresh vegetables. Instead, I am reminded that I am still a gardening rookie. It's been way too hot. I haven't been as good as I should be about watering because the mosquitoes just about carry me away every time I … [Read more...]
My two little gardens have been planted, and I'm happy to report that things are growing. After having moderate success with my first square foot gardening attempt, I decided to double my garden area. We added a second 4x4 tired garden plot and I got everything planted before Memorial Day. I had every intention of starting plants from seeds, but the time got away from me. Or rather, I thought it would. Turns out we've had a pretty cool summer so far, and I probably had more time than I … [Read more...]
Starting seeds indoors doesn't have to be expensive. Depending upon the resources you can access, you may be able to start your seeds indoor for little or no money. Sure, there are lots of expensive lamps and heat sources and planting devices out there that can help you, but I do not find them necessary. Today, I am going to share with you how I start my seeds indoors. You will find lots of other websites giving you other ways, but I have figured out how to keep the overhead costs of … [Read more...]
Last week, I talked about my anticipation of the gardening season. Of course, the next day, it was -14°F. But that didn't stop you from sharing your frugal gardening tips and experiences. Some of you left comments, responded on Facebook, or sent me an e-mail, and I've found that I just can't keep all of this good information to myself. Today I'll share with you the Cliffs Notes version of all the great information you shared with me. I've attempted to organize it by topic: Getting … [Read more...]
Sure, we're buried in snow. And the ground is totally frozen. But I can still think about spring and planting my garden. Last year was my first attempt at planting a square foot garden. Armed with my copy of Mel Bartholomew's All New Square Foot Gardening and the seedlings my step-mom-in law gave me, I grew my first vegetables. I had several successes, a few failures, and I learned a lot. While I'm far from being any kind of gardening guru, I tasted enough success to make me … [Read more...]
I did it! The girl who kills all kinds of easy-to-care-for houseplants, had a garden. And the garden produced FOOD. I started the garden very modestly because I didn't want to invest a lot of time and money into something that I was going to kill. My kind step-mother-in-law gave me 2 tomato plants, a green pepper plant and a banana pepper plant that she had started from seed. She also gave me some yellow marigolds (which I put in pots around my deck) and another plant which I thought … [Read more...]