SherryTX Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 We have tried to grow a garden 3 out of the almost 6 years we have been here. The first year wasn't too bad - our cantelope took over though, but we did get some good jalapeño peppers, some tomatoes, and a few green peppers. Last year my husband put in two raised garden beds for me - we planted a few things...and I admittedly didn't do much to maintain it. So nothing really came of it (kinda of a waste of money!). This year we only planted a couple of tomato plants, squash, cucumbers and turnips. The tomato plants are still alive (at least 2 of them) and the squash is really trying to hold on, but the cucumbers don't look like they are going to make it, nor the turnips. I wasn't looking to save very much money from our garden, and still need to spend more time keeping it up. We also planted things really late this year, and I know that doesn't help. I know a lot of people that have or have had gardens, but sometimes it doesn't seem like anyone is actually saving any money. Just curious if any of you are yielding enough from your garden where you are not just realizing the health benefits, but also monetary benefits of growing your own food. Also - for those that grow a lot - how do you store the produce? I am leery of canning- though my mom did a lot of it when I was a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I don't think I'm saving anything yet. I'm not doing it for health benefits. I'm doing it so I don't have to go to the store for stuff, and for the enjoyment of gardening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) and am using this year as my experimental year. So far....I have 2 tomato plants that are doing great. All the tomatoes that we eat and plenty to give away, although I'm not canning any. I had more lettuce and spinach than we could eat, but it's done now. I had a few strawberries I got started last year. I moved them to containers and added to them. They were doing great and producing strawberries....and my dog dug them all up. I've got high hopes of having a bed just for strawberries, since I think they will be easy to freeze for winter use. I had some cabbage that was doing great....dog dug them up. So, did we save money? Probably not this year, by the time you factor in the cost of building the raised bed. But, I've learned some things for next year (put a fence around it to keep the dog out) and I've got my confidence up to try a little more next year. Why am I doing it? A little bit of money and health--easy and cheaper way to get "organic" vegetables that taste better. For the kids. The whole gardening experience has been great for them. To see where the food comes from. Because I kind of think that anyone that can....should. I'm not a total treehugger, but this is the ultimate way to decrease the amount of effort to get food to our plates. Edited July 10, 2009 by snickelfritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennC Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Well, I don't garden to save money. I do it to eat fresh vegetables, but mostly because I LOVE to be in my garden. I have a 3300 sq ft fenced garden. I would say that actually my habit "costs" me money. So to offset this, my boys and I grow extra to sell at the local farmers' market. A table is only $8 per week and we make around $50 each week selling whatever is ready. If I was more experienced at it, we could sell much more, but my goal is to pay for my garden. (My boys have a different goal - they want to pay off their trampoline) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) We have quite a large garden. I couldn't give you a $$$ figure on what we save, but we do indeed save money. Right now I'm not buying any fresh produce. Every morning while I'm weeding I harvest what is ready and plan our meals around those veggies. I can tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, green beans, tomato juice, green beans; peas, corn, pumpkin, peppers I freeze; our onions, potatoes, and cabbage get stored in a cool place. I have not bought any tomato products, green beans, corn, peas in years. I do run out of potatoes and onions. Also, I can or dry all the fruit we grow (peaches, apples, plums, pears, nectarines, cherries, apricots). I haven't bought any canned fruit for so long I can't remember. There really isn't any reason to worry about canning if you follow the directions carefully. Your local extension office should have all the info. you would need on that. Plus, freezing or drying is an easy way to preserve veggies/fruit. Saving money is only one part of the reason we garden, we also just simply love to dig in the dirt and like to eat healthy. My dh was born to be a farmer I think. Somehow he ended up a technical writer (poor guy) so our gardening is very important for his sanity. ETA: This year we spent under $50.00 for all plants and seeds. I do start some of my plants (tomatoes) indoors. We compost and save money that way. Also, we flood irrigate so it doesn't increase our electric bill any since we don't run the pump. Janet Edited July 10, 2009 by Ishki Add some info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I was going to say, I don't think anyone saves money gardening. A garden is expensive. My FIL spends way more on his garden then what the vegetables he would actaully eat would cost him. I don't garden - I just eat out of his! But even if he didn't have a garden, I wouldn't. It is WAY too hot here to be out weeding and watering in July and Aug. I would rather be dipping in the creek. Plus, I don't enjoy it. For those who do enjoy it AND care about eating fresh, healthy produce, it's a great hobby, but not really a money saver. Especially if you count in your time. Maybe others have a different experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Well, I don't garden to save money. I do it to eat fresh vegetables, but mostly because I LOVE to be in my garden. I have a 3300 sq ft fenced garden. I would say that actually my habit "costs" me money. So to offset this, my boys and I grow extra to sell at the local farmers' market. A table is only $8 per week and we make around $50 each week selling whatever is ready. If I was more experienced at it, we could sell much more, but my goal is to pay for my garden. (My boys have a different goal - they want to pay off their trampoline) :) Wow that is a huge garden! My mom had a really big one when I was a kid, and I remember working in it with her (or maybe getting in her way haha) and I have many fond memories of it. That's great you have a way to pay for it as well as your kids earning a little bit of money. Not only are you involved in an activity you love with the garden and eating well, but fiving the kids a valuable lesson! We have quite a large garden. I couldn't give you a $$$ figure on what we save, but we do indeed save money. Right now I'm not buying any fresh produce. Every morning while I'm weeding I harvest what is ready and plan our meals around those veggies. I can tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, green beans, tomato juice, green beans; peas, corn, pumpkin, peppers I freeze; our onions, potatoes, and cabbage get stored in a cool place. I have not bought any tomato products, green beans, corn, peas in years. I do run out of potatoes and onions. Also, I can or dry all the fruit we grow (peaches, apples, plums, pears, nectarines, cherries, apricots). I haven't bought any canned fruit for so long I can't remember. There really isn't any reason to worry about canning if you follow the directions carefully. Your local extension office should have all the info. you would need on that. Plus, freezing or drying is an easy way to preserve veggies/fruit. Yes, I am probably just beeing a scaredy cat about canning. I really don't need to worry about it until I actually can grow more than we eat I guess. Freezing would work, and I have dried tomatoes before in the oven and they came out okay. That is pretty impressive list of produce you grow! We have a tiny backyard which is maybe 1000 square feet if that. We just have the two raised beds, and I need to be more disciplined in the garden, and was hoping it could be a great experience for my girls. My two youngest really did most of the planting (on Mother's Day) and I did more of the supervising, and my 11 year old has done more weeding than I have. When I was 14 years old I worked at a green house after school and over that summer. I spent my days cutting plans as needed, watering, and general labor working with plants. It was hot, hard and sometimes not too exciting, but it was the first time I recognized how much I loved the fact I just had time to think while working. I was hoping to relive that a bit with the garden...some gardening meditation if you will. Will the temps hovering and hitting 100 degrees for the past 2 weeks, I haven't been to motivated, but have remembered to water them at least everyday for the most part. I just admire the fact you all have been able to get these planted and keep up with your gardens! Saving money is only one part of the reason we garden, we also just simply love to dig in the dirt and like to eat healthy. My dh was born to be a farmer I think. Somehow he ended up a technical writer (poor guy) so our gardening is very important for his sanity. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I was going to say, I don't think anyone saves money gardening. A garden is expensive. My FIL spends way more on his garden then what the vegetables he would actaully eat would cost him. I don't garden - I just eat out of his! But even if he didn't have a garden, I wouldn't. It is WAY too hot here to be out weeding and watering in July and Aug. I would rather be dipping in the creek. Plus, I don't enjoy it. For those who do enjoy it AND care about eating fresh, healthy produce, it's a great hobby, but not really a money saver. Especially if you count in your time. Maybe others have a different experience. I would have to say at first we spent some money buying equip. we needed such as a rototiller, but that was 20 years ago. My mother and mil gave me a lot of canning jars and I inherited a pressure cooker. Others I have picked up at garage sales or end of season sales. I have since bought another pressure cooker and a steam juicer. We would have a freezer whether I froze from the garden or not. Any equip. we bought has paid for itself long ago. Our gardening experience is not expensive, but then again I don't count my time anymore than I do when I'm housecleaning, hanging clothes or whatever. It's just what I do in the summer. I guess I really don't understand why gardening has to be so expensive; it can be done cheaply. Building raised beds, putting in fencing, etc. could add up at first, but over time I would think it would pay for itself. (We don't have raised beds and no dogs to fence out) However, if you don't enjoy it, it could soon become a nasty chore. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I have probably wound up saving some money, though I couldn't tell you how much. Herbs alone will save us huge bucks, especially in the longterm since I'm trying a lot of them and have TONS. We're growing squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, strawberries (though this is their first year so they don't really count), pole beans, and bell peppers. The tomatoes are finally coming in, and I usually go through half a dozen of those per week with my family, so that'll save me a lot. Bell peppers are another popular thing around here, and I have about 8 plants, so we'll have lots of those, too. They're about ready. The kids have enjoyed eating the fresh veggies, too, which was one of my main goals... that and to just really get out and learn to garden. I'm hoping to expand next year and plant some lettuce and spinach. It's been a lot of fun. Edited to add that I am hoping to can some of my tomatoes and beans. We also have wild blackberries that I'll be picking here this weekend and for the next week or two. Last year I made jam with that and still have lots left, so this year they'll just get frozen. Mmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I'd be out in my garden more if it weren't for the bug bites! I have to spray myself before I go, or they get me. Anyone else have this problem? It can be a day of full sun, but I guess they get plenty of shade in the garden, especially by the gourds (volunteer plant, I was hoping it was mini pumpkins, but gourds are ok too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I'm not saving money at all this year, but maybe in years to come. Right now I'm still learning. That's okay, though. Food fresh from the garden tastes a lot better than two week old food from Mexico. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Gardens usually need to be maintained... water, harvest, dealing with pest, etc. The was a blog that had a family keep track of what they spent (including electricity for the grow lights to raise seedlings) and what they saved (using comparable prices like if you didn't grow a garden would you be buying the more expensive organic produce or the price at a farmer's market). The family saved at least $100. But I think it is the having fresh wonderful tasting food and not the money (but I like to at least breakeven). You can spend a lot of money gardening. There are lots of fancy things you can buy but often you don't need. We're finding this year that we need to pay more attention to pest control. We get squash borers and cucumber beetles. Both are easily defeated by a floating row cover (which we already own). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennC Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I guess I really don't understand why gardening has to be so expensive; it can be done cheaply. Janet I agree with you that gardening doesn't have to be expensive. We are lucky that we have our own well and so don't pay for water "by the gallon" like we did in a subdivision. And I don't til my garden and only had to purchase the fencing once, etc. However . . . I like catalogs. I like "neat" rattlesnake beans and strawberry spinach and . . .get the idea. Those seeds really add up and I have a time justifying buying them - since I don't NEED them. So that's where my expense comes from. Last year, I actually only spent probably $50 on seeds/plants & row covers, because I made myself plant all the seeds left over in their packs from the year before. It's tough being a lover of all things "neat" and a person who hates to shop or spend money.:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 One of the blogs I like to read, GetRichSlowly.org, includes updates on the garden that the writer and his wife have. He is very detailed. http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/06/28/the-grs-garden-project-june-2009-update/ However, he has a lot more going on than we do - and it is just him and his wife. Anyone have a little green house - I don't care what size - I am just wondering if you have a little green house if you could grow things out of season. I live in North east Texas, and am bummed that we got started so late, because some crops have two harvests - I believe broccoli is one. I am wondering if it is worthwhile to go ahead and try to plant some herbs and if I need a little mini green house if we want to continue doing that after October. Also - has anyone tried those upside down tomato plant things? Just curious if they really work or not. I think the DIY website has instructions on how to make one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My garden doesnt save me anything. But it's good therapy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I can't give you a dollar figure, but I know we save a LOT of money. We don't can a thing, but do freeze many things (easier for us). In broccoli alone we have 14 meals worth in our freezer - and we ate a lot fresh in salads or as a side. It cost us around $6 to start with plants (since we didn't get our own seeds started). It wasn't a good year for peas this year, so we probably broke even with them. Salad and spinach were easily money savers as we ate those once a day or every other day when in season - for the price of two packs of seeds. Onions are out there fresh - whenever I want them. Beets we're freezing today - they take forever to blanch... but will be tasty. Zucchini, summer squash, green and yellow snap beans, and cucumbers are all ready now or very soon. We grill the squash and/or turn some of the zucchini into zucchini bread. Tomatoes and green peppers will be ready soon. Then in the fall we have potatoes and winter squash - plus we'll replant salad, spinach, peas, and, if we can find them, broccoli. For other costs... there's gas for the rototiller and we had to buy a new section of fence this year. Then there's the seeds and whatever electricity we use to blanch for freezing - plus the freezer bags. It's all MUCH less than my shopping bill would be. Then, when we combine farm fresh veggies with the deer we harvest from our farm every year, we can eat rather inexpensively. We have horses and chickens that provide us with the fertilizer - and go organic otherwise (no pesticides, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 If I had to guess I would say we will probably break even, compared to what I would normally spend on non-organic summer produce. However, if you factor in that every thing I grow is organic, compared to grocery store prices for organic, I am saving a bundle. This year's expenses were: compost bin, manure, organic fertilizer, a rabbit fence, lettuce seedlings, tomato seedlings, pepper seedlings, onion sets, seeds for 3 kinds of squash, seeds for kale and spinach, seeds for green beans, asparagus roots, and raspberry plants. Really, having a garden for me is not about saving money, even though I try to be as frugal as I can. It is about: taste, enjoyment, health, convenience, and responsible living. I am saving fossil fuel, getting excercise, and feeding my family healthy food with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Next year I will buy more seeds instead of seedlings. We also plan on putting in more cherries, raspberries, and a mulberry. I guess it we won't start getting back what we put into those plants for a few years. However, we would have planted trees or bushes anyway. I think of it as investing in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 One of the blogs I like to read, GetRichSlowly.org, includes updates on the garden that the writer and his wife have. He is very detailed.http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/06/28/the-grs-garden-project-june-2009-update/ However, he has a lot more going on than we do - and it is just him and his wife. Anyone have a little green house - I don't care what size - I am just wondering if you have a little green house if you could grow things out of season. I live in North east Texas, and am bummed that we got started so late, because some crops have two harvests - I believe broccoli is one. I am wondering if it is worthwhile to go ahead and try to plant some herbs and if I need a little mini green house if we want to continue doing that after October. Also - has anyone tried those upside down tomato plant things? Just curious if they really work or not. I think the DIY website has instructions on how to make one. My mom has a hanging tomato plant, and it's huge. She lives in a place with only a patio in the back. I'm impressed with the whole setup. She says that you can grow other plants too. I think peas are one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Nothing, sadly, but it's only my first year, and I really enjoyed the learning process. Unfortunately, if I want to keep gardening, it will necessitate tree trimming, so the cost of that really negates any savings from growing our own food. I lost several good seedlings in a fertilizer incident, lost all my broccoli/cauliflower to caterpillars when we went on vacation for a week (I swear they were waiting for me to pull out of the driveway--there were NONE before we left!), and now my tomatoes have early blight! I have 15 tomato plants, so if I lose them all, I'll be devastated. There will be no way for me to recoup my costs this year, really, so I've settled for looking at this as a labor of love, and DH has finally realized he should not say a word to me about the money :lol: I'm considering it a hobby rather than a money-saving venture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmmom4him Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi, I am doing great with my garden so far. We have 11 tomato plants, 8 green peppers, 2 hot peppers, three "rounds" of green beans (there will be beans ready to pick all summer), onions, potatoes, sweet corn, then my neighbor and I are swapping produce, he is taking some tomatoes and peppers, and I get all the squash, zucchini, cucumbers I want. We also have pumpkins. I could have cabbage from him too, but with a nursing baby I am avoiding it this year. ;o) As for money--I spent $58 for my plants/seeds. I know with all that I hope to freeze I will probably save well over $350 for our family. We eat a lot of veggies, and I am freezing, green beans, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, corn, peppers. Lots of that will be baby food, so that will be a large savings.:D I have made 8 batches of salsa that cost me $4 since I had stuff from the garden to help with it. If I would have bought that salsa it would have been well over $25. I don't have any special beds. We just till the ground and go. I have had to break down and use seven dust, but I was not interested in letting the insects have my produce, and that is where we were headed. :rolleyes: My dh is a farmer, so the garden is mine because he is SUPER busy. I have one dc that helps a bit, but all my children are young. ages 9 down to 5 mos, 6 total. :grouphug: Yes, there are some days that the craziness makes me think about :leaving::blushing: but I figure it would be that way if I just had 1 child. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I've just started reading "Food not Lawns" and very much enjoyed the chapter on water. She explained fairly inexpensive ways of diverting water out of the house and into the garden. Might save everyone a bit more money... Rosie- who'll have a garden of her own, one day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 we have a large garden slightly bigger than a tennis court. we don't buy any veggies at all year round ( except potatoes, we have the wrong soil for potatoes, sand). we eat according to what is in season. At the moment it is winter (here in Australia), and we are eating allot of brasica ( broccoli, cauliflower, soon cabbage etc) carrots and lettuce grow year round. We also have a largish green house, one of those igloo style ones with the plastic. we have capsicum, and sweet potato growing all year round in the greenhouse, capsicum is actually a perennial if it is kept warm enough. we have tomatoes in the greenhouse at the moment as well. we save our own seeds for most veggies. so it is fairly cheep, we save heaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Wow - I find all your responses encouraging! Thanks. I plan on spending some time in our tiny garden today after the kids go off to Montessori daycare. This is most likely my last week day at home, so I want to make the most of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 This year we only planted a couple of tomato plants, squash, cucumbers and turnips. The tomato plants are still alive (at least 2 of them) and the squash is really trying to hold on, but the cucumbers don't look like they are going to make it, nor the turnips. Turnips won't make it this time of year. In Texas, they are considered a fall/winter crop. Replant between the end of August to mid-October. Cucumbers take a lot of water or else they get awfully bitter. I am in N Texas and have a large veggie garden. I would say by the time you factor in supplemental watering, you don't save any money. I do it because I love home-grown organic produce. Vegetable gardens take a lot of water to produce well. I water about every other day in this heat, where my rose gardens only need watered once a week. You mentioned raised beds. What is your soil like? What did you fill the raised beds with? Most "landscapers mix" or compost blends are too light and the water runs straight through. You might want to have someone from the county extension office look at your soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Squarefoot gardening has saved me the $800 CSA membership minus the -$100 it cost to build, buy and plant the two raised boxes. I love having the veggies right out back and not too many of any one thing. Did I mention squarefoot gardening is easy?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I save at least $30 a year and only have a tiny garden. I routinely buy grape tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini, so having just those items saves me $10 a week at the store. I usually have less than $15 into the whole garden, so it isn't hard to save money. Of course we have water expense, but we have a station in our sprinkler system set up with drip lines that go to the base of each plant. This saves a lot of water because we only water the plants, instead of watering everything around the plants too. I don't think we have even a $5 increase in watering the garden for the whole summer. The kids waste much more playing in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) I was going to say, I don't think anyone saves money gardening. A garden is expensive. My FIL spends way more on his garden then what the vegetables he would actaully eat would cost him. I don't garden - I just eat out of his! But even if he didn't have a garden, I wouldn't. It is WAY too hot here to be out weeding and watering in July and Aug. I would rather be dipping in the creek. Plus, I don't enjoy it. For those who do enjoy it AND care about eating fresh, healthy produce, it's a great hobby, but not really a money saver. Especially if you count in your time. Maybe others have a different experience. Respectfully, I disagree. I know we save money gardening, but then, I also admit that it might not really be called gardening, the way we do it -- more like small-scale farming. My 'garden' is 3/4 of an acre, and it feeds us most staple vegetables for most of the year (with canning, freezing and storing figured in there). We use the old Ford 8N to work it, and have some smaller equipment we use there, too. Because of that, it isn't a time-sucker like it would be if I were doing everything by hand (although, I'll say that thinning 3/4 of an acre is a heck of a chore.) I don't particularly love gardening, but I do love the produce (the quality of which I would be hard pressed to find in any store), and the fact that it does save us quite a lot of money. ETA: I didn't count the strawberries and raspberries that are our U-pick operation, although we get quite a lot of fruit from there. I also didn't count the small orchard either, which is apples, plums and cherries, plus a few saskatoons, gooseberries and blackberries. Edited July 13, 2009 by Audrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shenan Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 If you include the cost of the gas in our 12 mpg vehicle JUST to get to the grocery store, which is 33 miles one-way, then.....we're definitely saving with our garden! :D How much you save with your garden, really depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it. The amount of money you put INTO your garden also depends on your resourcefulness. We have split seed potatoes with neighbors, we don't use commercially purchased pesticides, we stay on top of the weeds, weeding by hand. If you really are into gardening you can make your seeds for planting. I recall my mother doing that when I was young. I am a freezing person. We have 6 kids and I really do not have time to can. I freeze everything from green beans, corn, strawberries, blueberries, and we dice up our tomatoes to freeze. We store our potatoes in a cool dry place. I have been blogging quite a bit about this lately. Since gardening season is here. HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 We just added zucchini and cucumbers to our daily diet as the first ones from our garden are ready. The first grilled zucchini of the season is SOO GOOD... soon we will start making zucchini bread. Now if we can just get the tomatoes and to ripen and green peppers to get a little bit bigger. Then the only veggie staple I'll still be buying are the fresh mushrooms... It's far, far cheaper for us to garden than to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I think we are finally figureing this gardening thing out. . . we have put up so far: 16 pts of jam 8 quarts of peas 9 quarts of pickles 32 quarts of green beans 12 cups of shredded zucchini We will be doing more of this this week. We have had fresh broccoli and lettuce all summer. I am getting ready to pull and cure the onions and the tomatos will not be ready for another 2 weeks or so. We will make spaghetti sauce and salsa with them. We also have a few pumpkins, cantelope, and yellow squash, and jalepeno and bell peppers coming. We have definitely more than paid for our garden this year. We decided to quit the hobby gardening as we have done in the past and really plant a big garden this year. Since we have had success, we will expand next year with the goal of saving enough for the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamace Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 A few people mentioned the trouble of having to weed. An easy way we cut down on weeds is to take the grass clippings from mowing the lawn and spread underneath the plants. This keeps the sun off so no weeds and also holds in the moisture. You'll still need to weed some here and there, but nothing like if you didn't have anything on it. Loved hearing all these responses! We expanded this year and may do even more next year...but that means we will be cutting down a tree which I don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E_Edgerton Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I don't have the space for anything substantial, however we have saved a bundle just by growing fresh herbs. Anytime I needed cilantro, basil, dill, or flat leaf parsley I was spending about $3.00 a bunch/package. Now I just go out to the deck! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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