Saving money via veggie garden?

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sanctareparata said:
OP - thanks for starting this thread and giving me ideas!

I’m gonna talk to dh about a garden tonight - we are constantly running back to the store for produce, both for ourselves and for one very hungry rabbit 🙂 . Wonder if I could get an apple tree as well?
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Hmmm… Apple trees or pear trees…

My neighbor next door has both… I don’t know where I would but another tree at in my yard! (Maybe my neighbor will share if I ask nicely :))

In years passed he has mention give us some (pears/apple) but that never seems to happen. (Busy people… we don’t always see each other)

And your welcome (I’m glad I started the thread too)
 
For local information on home gardening, contact your state Cooperative Extension System office (funded by us generous taxpayers via the US Department of Agriculture). You can find yours here:

Cooperative Extension System Offices

State universities are hooked in with them - many offer additional resources both on websites and in person. Universities offering agriculture programs also have resources available (eg Cornell’s nice gardening website - Gardening @ Cornell

And finally, the American Farm Bureau offers info and further links to state farm bureaus. (As an aside, some farm bureaus offer a TON of educational info useful for homeschool/afterschool/scout, etc. use.)

The Cooperative Extension sites also provide information on family nutrition & health - you can get detailed info regarding food preservation techniques there, too. Often they offer classes and free handouts/booklets. Cooperative Extension is tied closely with 4-H…your kiddos might be interested in a 4-H gardening project, or a scouting merit badge project.

HTH
 
USCGwife said:
For local information on home gardening, contact your state Cooperative Extension System office (funded by us generous taxpayers via the US Department of Agriculture). You can find yours here:

Cooperative Extension System Offices

State universities are hooked in with them - many offer additional resources both on websites and in person. Universities offering agriculture programs also have resources available (eg Cornell’s nice gardening website - Gardening @ Cornell

And finally, the American Farm Bureau offers info and further links to state farm bureaus. (As an aside, some farm bureaus offer a TON of educational info useful for homeschool/afterschool/scout, etc. use.)

The Cooperative Extension sites also provide information on family nutrition & health - you can get detailed info regarding food preservation techniques there, too. Often they offer classes and free handouts/booklets. Cooperative Extension is tied closely with 4-H…your kiddos might be interested in a 4-H gardening project, or a scouting merit badge project.

HTH
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Thanks for the web-link! 👍
 
Most strawberries will not produce much the first year. root crops need light soil. in heavy or clay soils they do not do well. lettuce grows better in cool spring or fall
 
RWMorris said:
…Don’t make my mistake and plant zucchini…they never stop and you will turn your kids off zucchini for life…
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:rotfl:
Zucchini is a great thing for a beginning vegetable gardener–she’ll feel like a pro in no time! “Renee’s Garden” has three colors of zucchini (yellow, light and dark green) in the same pack, which makes for a bit of change. (That company’s seeds cost a bit more but they offer really interesting varieties.) Also, I pick the zucchini very early while they’re still small, otherwise they grow monstrous.
 
Cincy said:
Most strawberries will not produce much the first year. root crops need light soil. in heavy or clay soils they do not do well. lettuce grows better in cool spring or fall
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Thanks for the tips!

I visited my grandfather over the weekend (he’s in the hospital). Anyway when I was visiting, the kids told him that we were going to plant a garden. He asked what… and the kids right away jumped in with watermelon and pumpkins. (Of all the things that is the only things the kids really want)

Anyway he warned me not to put them to close together because he felt that they would cross-pollinate.

So my next question is what plants run the risk of cross-pollinating and how far apart should they be to help avoid this?

Thanks.
 
We grew tomatoes and beans without any trouble at all. If we can do it, so can anyone. We just have a little patch of dirt between our house and driveway. I know some people even grow them in containers.

Good luck. You’re giving me the inspiration to expand.
 
Corn is the common vegetable you must worry about for cross pollination. and you only have to worry if you plant the super sweet or extra sweet hybrid. if you plant one variety at a time you do not need to worry about that. watermelon and pumpkins will produce bad seed but fruit is fine.

Cincy
 
Mommyof02green said:
Okay right now we don’t have a big freezer… (I’m not even sure where we would put it if we had one)

We’ve got a 950 square foot ranch home… NO basement; 3 beds; one bath… A big freezer would have to go in our one car garage.

(That is in need a major clean out…seeing we can’t park a car in the garage :p) (That’s a different thread all together)

That is fine…but then I’m not so sure if in the dead of winter I would want to go out in 4 feet of snow or 40 below weather just to get some food out of the freezer. (The garage is not attached :()

Although, I would if I had too…

Please keep in mind the safety part of food canning. Only high acid foods like tomatoes are safe in my books. I would never can beAns-I know a lot of people that do, but to me they are so easy to freeze and safely that I would not can them. I even add lemon juice to the tomatoes. And remember IF IN DOUBT-THROW IT OUT.
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Rebecca_New said:
Please keep in mind the safety part of food canning. Only high acid foods like tomatoes are safe in my books. I would never can beAns-I know a lot of people that do, but to me they are so easy to freeze and safely that I would not can them. I even add lemon juice to the tomatoes. And remember IF IN DOUBT-THROW IT OUT.
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I’ve been reading up on canning too…

I doubt that I’ll do that this year but maybe next.

God Bless
 
gardenswithkids said:
:rotfl:
Zucchini is a great thing for a beginning vegetable gardener–very early while they’re still small, otherwise they grow monstrous.
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Zucchini is also great for inspiring creativity in the kitchen too. They can be very abundant in the garden.

Remember like Garnedswithkids says, bigger zucchini is not always better zucchini. They get tough when gigantic.
 
Re Weeding the garden

I don’t think anyone mentioned this, but…
DONT THROW OUT THE SEED PACKAGES!!!

Each package has an illustration of the plant on it. Great for discerning between wheat and tares.

Matthew
 
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