Benefits of raised garden beds You can't sink a shovel into the soil anywhere on our 3/4-acre property without hitting a rock. More like sixty rocks. No joke. It's like living on top of an old quarry. Planting tomatoes directly into the ground last year was an exercise in frustration, as making 2' holes with a pickax is not my idea of a good time. So while I love the idea of a large, level garden plot, it just isn't going to happen on our sloped, rocky lot. No problemo. We are big fans of the look and benefits of raised garden beds. Here are a few of the advantages of gardening this way: Soil drains better Access is easier Soil Keep Reading
Gardening: The hardest part is getting started {Part 2}
Guest post by Mavis from OneHundredDollarsAMonth.com. Last weekend I went over to my neighbor Lulu's garden to check on the potatoes we had planted just a few weeks earlier. Lulu and I walked over to the garden beds and discovered the red potato plants were starting to break through the soil. Thumbs up, Lulu... nice job. If an eight year old can grow vegetables, so can YOU! For the most part, gardening can be one of the most frugal {and rewarding} hobbies out there if you stick to the basics. Good soil, seeds and water. Think about it: soil, seeds and water were all the Pilgrims had to work with. They didn't use specialty fertilizer, soil gauges, Keep Reading
Gardening: The hardest part is getting started {Part 1}
Guest post by Mavis from OneHundredDollarsAMonth.com. This is my neighbor's garden. It's a masterpiece. A real beauty. So when my neighbor called the other day and asked if I would help her with her garden, I laughed. "Define help" I asked. "Look, I'm really busy. I will give you anything you want if you just come over and weed and plant the whole thing for me... anything!" she pleaded. "Would you give me a case of toilet paper and a 25lb bag of sugar?" I asked. "Are you serious?" "Are you?" "Fine. Yes, I will go to Costco and get you toilet paper and sugar you weirdo, now how soon can you get started?" "I'll be over Keep Reading
Four Garden Failures: What not to do
Garden Failures: What not to do image credit Guest Post by Kari Patterson We're currently on our 5th garden. No, not our 5th year having a garden, our 5th different garden. Which makes us not experts, but fools, because we keep starting over at each new place we live. I would not recommend this. But I would recommend starting some sort of garden, taking into account the space and time you have available. Where to start? First, learn from our mistakes: 1. The Potted Garden Here we lived in a townhome. No yard. No garden space. Our garden consisted of pots lining our front and back porch. The herbs were a tremendous success, the zucchini Keep Reading
The Spring Garden: Journal & Germinate
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 Keep Reading
Going Green : Gardening Ideas
Going Green Gardening Ideas When it comes to gardening, I consider myself a motivated amateur. Although I grew up in a somewhat rural area and put in a large garden every summer with my dad, I am by no means an expert on the topic. Each year, my husband and I make new mistakes, learn new tricks, and experiment with new plants. It's a fun process, especially when you get to eat the results. I am convinced that there are few things as satisfying as growing and eating your own food. There's just something about tucking a tiny seed or small start into the soil and watching it grow into food you can set on the dinner table. Maybe I have led a sheltered Keep Reading