The Spring Garden
Wasn’t that 24-hour slice of sunshine wonderful? I know, I know. We’re back to good ol’ Oregon rain today, but for a brief break we had a glorious taste of spring/summer. My kids played in the yard. I poked seeds into the ground. We lost all track of time. My husband came home. Dinner was… scrambled eggs and toast.
Back to those seeds, though. As you know from last week’s post on spring gardening, I am determined to expand my growing season on either end of the summertime. I want to tuck seeds in earlier in the spring and harvest plants later in the fall. I have peas, spinach, and lettuce seeds in our raised beds right now. I am planning to add beets, carrots, and herbs in a few weeks.
In the spirit of trying new things, here are two other gardening-related activities I am going to start for the first time this year:
:: Keep a garden journal. No, I am not going to write flowery poetry. I am going to keep track of all of those things I always forget to remember. (Kind of like my kids’ baby books. Which I need to update soon.) In my garden journal, I will take notes on what was planted and when, flops, successes, weather, etc.
I am also plannning to keep a running list of what we spend and what we harvest (expenses vs. “profit”). There is no doubt in my mind that growing a garden saves us substantial money in the produce section, but I have never actually figured out the dollar amount. Growing some of our own produce is worthwhile for more than financial reasons, but I am still curious how much a small garden saves our family of four.
:: Start germinating seeds indoors. Even if you do not have a greenhouse, you can copy the same idea by purchasing inexpensive seed starter kits at your local home improvement store. There are many different styles to choose from for around $5-$10. This is a great way to get a jump start on growing hot weather crops like cucumbers, zucchini, or pumpkins.
In the past, my husband and I have always picked up plant starts at our local nursery or farmers market. At $1-$3/each, it is still an incredibly economical way to start your garden. This year, I am cutting out the middle man by buying seeds (around $1/packet) to start my own plants. I will be doing this in mid-April, giving my vegetable starts 4-6 weeks before I harden the plants outside and put them in the ground.
The directions on the seed kits are clear and easy to follow. If you’re nervous about trying it for the first time, talk to someone in the know or grab a book from the library. My friend Wynter (who has a greenhouse I am slightly envious of) provided all the information and inspiration I needed to give this a shot.
Here’s to more sunshine and happy seeds!
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I gave up on a vegetable garden because I felt like I was losing money trying to raise produce. Our land is so naturally wet that we had to spend a fortune on slug bait.
If you love gardening, do it. If you love the fresh produce, grow it for that reason. I am just unconvinced that financially it makes sense if that is your primary purpose for having a garden.
I am starting my own garden this year, how do I germinate the seads and which ones do I germinate? Which ones do I just poke in the ground and when. I went to Fred Meyer to find a starter kit (above). They did not have any : (.
Instead of buying seed starting kits I used paper egg cartons. Worked great!
There’s a terrific amount of knolewdge in this article!
Had to pass on my recent experience. I bought a starter kit like your picture and I also bought the soil blocks that you have to hydrate in a bucket for soil and also one of those electric seed warmer “blanket” to go under the flats. We planted our seeds and settled back to wait out the 7-10 day germination period. I was extremely surprised to see those little sprouts come up in THREE DAYS! What a shock – guess they meant it when they said the seed tray warmers speed up germination.
Because we are on city water, gardening doesn’t save us money, or much money. Water is our dominant cost. How do you plan to estimate/measure your water usage (unless you have a well or other free-ish source)
We are also on city water. We water our front/back lawn with sprinklers and all of our garden area with a drip system all summer. Our water bill goes up $5-$10/month June-August. If you check out your water bill, you’ll probably find the bulk of it is set fees not actual usage (a fact that drives my husband nuts).
So I guess I’ll figure that increase into my expenses, but I’m still confident our garden saves us big bucks (while providing priceless enjoyment). 🙂 I agree, though, that if you have a very small space, your savings would be small to none, simply because of the amount you’d be able to produce. Maybe a CSA would be a better bet?
I have observed that many people over water-now I have clay soil-so sandy soil people may have different results. With clay soil even when the top looks dry-it still is moist underneath-I turn up a little ground to check. The drip water system is the best for saving on water-just waters where you want it and deeply-then it is many, many days before you need to water again-even a week, depending on how hot it is.
Also when you water this way, it encourages the roots to grow deeper, so this results in stronger plants and less water needed. This is true for grass also.
1. Mulch, mulch, mulch!
2. Whenever you have leftover water from cooking, let it cool and pour that into your garden (not meat-based). Even better – a water barrel. There is an initial cost for it but there are probably ways to DIY less expensively. If you’re going to do it, do it now before summer hits and it’s not raining any longer.
3. Square foot gardening – it’s more efficient. Grow more produce in less space using less water than row gardening. I had a very slight increase in water bill last summer and I have a lot more to water than just the veggie garden. I also have some flower beds and about 16 containers plus 2 cars to wash, so if you are just doing a square foot garden that’s mulched, you’re not going to notice a difference.
Last year I put in a raised garden bed and utilized the square foot gardening method. Note – you don’t need a raised bed to do square foot gardening. It was my first year doing it this way so I had the expense of the raised bed and a couple bags of compost and soil to fill it. I also purchased a hose filter to filter chlorine from city water.
I purchased all seeds with the exception of 2 tomato and 1 cucumber starts. Everything heirloom organic.
It was a terrible gardening year weather-wise for everyone, but for 2+ months had more than enough cherry & grape tomatoes for myself and my friends and neighbors. Just 1 package of organic cherry tomatoes can run about $5. I produced $15-$20 worth a week x 8+ weeks = $120-$160+. And that was just the tomatoes. I grew other veggies as well! I did not have a spring or fall garden last year but will this year so we will make out even better this year.
Besides, it is so enjoyable I can’t imagine not gardening. Nothing tastes better than homegrown. No wasted food either! Unlike some things I’ve had to throw out or return to the store that’s rotten.
You can also use a water bucket that collects rain and then use it on your plants. I use a larger bucket that I put out and then dip my water can in it when I need to water my plants. Its good for the environment and your budget!
Two quick coments:
First – a blog is a great way to do a garden journal. I started one last spring, adding budget pages, recipes, triumphs (my transplanted rhubarb) and disasters (straw bale garden). The blog is fantastic and I didn’t lose it like I have done with other garden journals.
Second – There is a book called “The $64.00 tomato”. It is a fabulously funny read into a organic gardener’s new garden. I think you’d love it.
The blog point is a good one. I have done this in the past; I guess I just wasn’t detailed enough as far as cost, location, weather, etc. — things we wonder about now but can’t remember from years past.
Thanks for the book recommendation! I’ll check it out (literally -it’s on my library hold list now!).