5 Tips When Installing SOD

We FINALLY got our sod installed.. It was a long time coming. We had officially gotten our yard ready for sod, when THE DAY BEFORE it was supposed to come, I broke my ankle.. So we decided to postpone it until the next spring, and here we are!

So sod is actually quite resilient. There are just a few things you should worry about when installing sod.

1. Make sure your soil is amended. Many times people will pull out an old yard, or put in grass in a newly built home, but they neglect to put any soil amendments into the soil before installing the grass. The organic matter helps to have the grass establish itself quickly and grow to be a healthy lawn. You don't want to have to fertilize it too quickly after installing it. So take the time to add in some good organic matter to the soil before putting the grass in. You'll thank me later.


2. Make sure your sprinklers have FULL coverage before installing grass. Many times the sprinkler system is inadequate and you will end up with dead sod pretty quickly if that is the case. A little prep work before it is installed will save you in the future.


3. Keep moist, but you don't need to drown it either. Because it is spring, I will not have to water my new sod nearly as much as if it was installed in the summer time. Water to keep quite moist- those roots loose moister faster than when they are established down into the ground. So pay attention to the weather and how moist it is! and make decisions based on your OWN circumstances.


4. Keep kids and dogs OFF it as much as possible. Have you ever seen likes of where dogs pace in lawns? Walking on lawns can even be hard on them when they are established! So they will die much faster when they don't have a good root base yet! So for a few weeks while it is getting established- keep kids and dogs off. I put up a little temporary fence to keep my dog off, and gently remind my kids to not venture onto it.


5. Sod establishes much faster than seed! yes, you can get an awesome looking lawn from seed, but it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the weed seeds that get in there, and if you have a dog and kids like I do, you may want to think about the time frame that you will have to keep them off- vs sod. A few months or a few weeks.. I chose the later. AND it is less work. Easy decision.

What is your opinion? Do you like SOD or SEED? I would love to know the experience you had with that! And any tips you have for me as we wait for the grass to root down.

Happy Gardening!

What do you plant in the Spring?

One question I get asked a lot is, "what can I plant in the spring? What is OK to plant now?" Well, that depends on your area and the climate there now.

BUT some of the cold weather plants that enjoy cooler weather and can handle a few frosts are:

• Spinach


• Spring mix lettuce


• Kale


• Broccoli


• Cabbage


• Brussels sprouts


• Peas


• Strawberry plants


• Onion seeds


• Tomatoes in Walls of Water


• Garlic planted last fall

Those are the things I have going in my garden right now. If you are NEW to gardening, just choose ONE or TWO things to plant right now. And watch the weather and water as needed. It may not need to be watered as often with rain and snow, but if it has a dry spell, make sure to water them!

Topped tomato plant

We had to cut off the top of the tomato plants as they got damaged by the frost. We had them covered, but it must have been a strong frost and still damaged them. They look like they will do just fine. But we will watch and see how it affects them this year.

Choosing Tomaotes

Nothing compares to a fresh-picked, homegrown tomato, especially when the tomatoes we buy at the store are often nearly tasteless! The trouble is there are hundreds of varieties to choose from.

To help you navigate the nursery or seed catalog this spring, Birds & Blooms—America’s # 1 Bird & Garden Magazine—has put together a list of the top 10 best tomatoes to grow:

·         Sauce-makers: You wouldn't think a Roma tomato would pack such a punch, but the name really says it all. Burpee claims a single 2-pound tomato will fill an entire sauce jar. So if you like to can your own sauce,SuperSauce (pictured to the right) could be your new favorite. 

·         Staples: Chances are you've seen them at your garden center.Celebrity tomatoes were an All-America Selections veggie in 1984, and we think they still deserve top honors. They’re bright red, reliable and scrumptious—everything you love about tomatoes in summer.

·         Colorful varieties: While most tomatoes start green and then redden as they ripen, consider branching out into one of these more colorful varieties: Aunt Ruby’s German Green, the Black Cherry, or the exotic-looking Green Zebra.

·         Grafted varieties: If you have a small space but want lots of fruit in your tomato garden, grafted tomatoes could be the solution. The Grafted Brandywine is one great example.

 Thanks Birds and Blooms!

Happy Gardening!

Tomato Time!

I have decided to change the direction of this blog a bit. Instead of being a how to based blog, I am going to journal my efforts in the garden. I hope that it will be inspiring and helpful to your gardening efforts. But as always I am happy to answer questions!

Today I transplanted 23 Big Mama Roma to bigger pots. No, I am not going to plant them all in my garden. I just grow a bunch extra for family and friends. I'm growing them for myself so why not? They should be ready to transplant outside soon, but I wanted to give them a bit more time. They got off to a late start this year.

We have our other tomatoes already planted outside. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, the last frost is not expected until mid May, so we put walls of water around them to keep them warm and growing in the colder surroundings.

Needless to say, I can hardly wait until it's time to eat tomatoes from the garden!

Happy Gardening!

How to Use Vinegar for PLANTS!

I have found Vinegar to be a very interesting thing. It has multiple uses that seem contradictory. It can be life giving and life taking in the plant world. However you use it, it is a great tool to have for your garden and yard care. Here are some ways to use it.

• Kill weeds or unwanted grass. Just poor full strength on the weed and it should kill them within a few days. This works best with young weeds, and with more mature weeds it might take a few applications.


• Increase soil acidity. Here in our very alkaline soil, it is hard to grow things that love acidic soil. So if you have that problem too, try occasionally watering it with water that has vinegar. Just add one cup of vinegar to a gallon of water then poor on the plants such as Blueberries, gardenias, and azaleas.


• Those cut flowers in the vase, prolong their life by adding two tablespoons of vinegar plus three tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water.


• Clean pots with vinegar before reusing to kill bacteria and neutralize lime from the soil.


• You can also rinse your hands off with some vinegar after working in the garden to avoid rough and flaking skin.

Those are just a few of the ways it can be used in the garden and yard. Please feel free to share any ways you have found using vinegar useful!

As always happy gardening!

Gardening Disasters

We all make mistakes when gardening. This is how we learn and become better gardeners. It is great to learn from others mistakes so that we can make our own set of mistakes. Right? Using the garden planner, is a great tool to help you know how many plants will fit the the area you have and also send you reminders to plant those things. I LOVE using the garden planner because it helps me have a master plan so that I can make the most of the growing space I have. It can also help with the next years garden and show you where not to plant so that you can have proper rotation.

Happy Gardening!

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5 Spring Gardening Tips for Beginners

With spring just around the corner – well, it’s here in some states – I thought it would be a perfect time to share some simple tips for gardening, what to start with, how to manage it and what works best for beginners.

Courtesy of chef/gardener/instructor Dan Brophy of Oregon Culinary Institute – the only independent culinary school in Portland – here are five tips to help get your garden off the ground:

1.  Now is the time to start tomato, pepper, and eggplant from seed.  You’ll have more choice of plant varieties by choosing your own seed.  Some varieties will thrive better in your micro-climate.

2.  Check with local Master Gardeners or County Extension for specific suggestions.

3.  Tomato, Pepper, and eggplant respond best if gentle bottom heat is provided for the 1-2 week period necessary for germination.

4.   After the 1^st set of true leaves appear, transfer plant into individual peat pots.

5.  Transfer plants only after “hardening off” (gradually exposing plants to sunlight, wind, etc).  I wait until soil temps are at least 50 degrees F. Remember, tomatoes respond best to full sun!

One extra tidbit from Brophy: "Best of luck!  Two things money can’t buy, true love and homegrown tomatoes."

Thanks Dan!

Happy Gardening!

7 of the Healthiest Veggies That Are EASY to Grow

I don't know about you, but I like to know about the food I eat, and what nutrition is in it. I guess it is a little hobby of mine. If you are going to plant a garden, and only can or want to grow a few items, why not grow those packed with the most nutrition and are EASY to grow? With a little effort, you can see how easy they can be to grow. AND improve your health at the same time.

1. Tomatoes: one of the most commonly home grown veggies, once tasted, you will see why. I almost never  buy store bought tomatoes because I have been so spoiled by the home grown. Someone who claims to not like tomatoes might very well take that back once they have something with a homegrown tomato in it. Be it a hamburger, salsa, marinara sauce or even tomato soup. When you grow your own tomatoes, they have an amazing amount of nutrients compared to the store bought ones. They are picked too early and shipped long distances- reducing what little nutrients they were able to get before their early harvest. Great source of Vitamin A, E, C and Fiber and Omega 6 Fatty Acid.  They are known for thier cancer fighting qualities, but also are great for keeping blood pressure in check.


2. Broccoli: Very easy to grow, and can grow in a limited space with no problems. The only tricky part is making sure to harvest the head before it starts to flower.  You don't want to harvest too early if it is still growing, but if you wait even a few days, the flowers will open and it doesn't taste as good. Just keep it growing fast, but providing enough water and nutrients and you will have a great tasting broccoli. It will produce some smaller heads after the first is harvested. You can make cream of broccoli soup, eat it raw, or serve it steamed. Broccoli has even more nutrients than tomatoes: a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Manganese. And it even has protein! They are great for reducing risk for lung, stomach and rectal cancers, and boosting immune function.


3. Carrots: Carrots are fun to grow, because you sow a little seeds, and let them grow. Just make sure the soil is not too compacted as this will limit their ability to grow downwards. They do not take up much space in the garden and last a long time after they are harvested if you cut off the greens right away. You can grow enough to last a few months in the winter! Carrots area very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium. Renowned for their ability to improve eye skin and hair health, but also are packed with anti oxidants and are great for cardiovascular health.


4. Spinach/Kale: I will group these together because they are both greens and very healthy ones at that. Both are easy to grow and can be harvested over and over again on the same plant before having to replant. Spinach likes to go to flower in the heat of summer and this makes the leaves bitter. A great way to have an instant salad, but also great to freeze and then add to smoothies to boost the healthiness of the smoothy! Spinach is a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. And because it is so packed with nutrition, it helps with just about everything. No wonder Popeye liked it so much. Kale a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.


5. Peppers: hot peppers, bell peppers- any pepper you choose. They are all packed with nutrients. They also have smaller plants than their tomato cousins and so can easily be grown in a container. There is such a variety of uses for them, but we like to grow them for salsa and salads. Bell Peppers a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese. They carry the nutrients that are great for preventing cancers.


6. Squash: Summer squash, and winter squashes all have a great deal of nutrition. They do get diseases, however you can usually still get a great harvest from them before the disease takes over too much. If you want to have a high producing plant that is hard to eat all that it produces- grow a zucchini plant. Great to cook in stir-fry, eat fresh, add shredded to salads, ect. Zucchini gives you a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese. They are anti inflammatory, thus good for inflammatory diseases like arthritis.


7. Onions: Onions are another one of those sow a few seeds and watch them grow. Then you can harvest them and save them for the winter months. It is possible to grow enough to last the whole year until your garden produces more. I don't need to get started on how to use them, as they have such a great ability to enhance the taste of foods and meats. Onions are a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

Happy Gardening!

What are Goji Berries and Can I Grow Them In My Garden?

So you might have heard of Goji Berries before. They are one of those super foods that contain an enormous amount of nutrition and anti oxidants in a small portion.  They are also quite expensive to buy because they are usually imported in from China! They are also sometimes called wolfberry. One of my goals is to become more self sufficient and grow all that I can on my own. This not only reduces costs of buying, especially those expensive super foods, but also reduces my carbon foot print, improves my health and emotional well being. And there is something satisfying about being able to walk out your back door, and harvest something for dinner. I don't think I will ever get over that feeling.

I became interested to know if I could grow my own Goji Berries in my climate in the Salt Lake Valley. So I decided to share some of my research with you so that you too can reap the rewards of growing such an exotic sounding plant in your yard.



Happy Gardening!

Top 5 Reasons to Raise Chickens

Have you considered raising chickens? It is a big decision for some, especially those who have had little to none experience with raising them. Is it worth the cost and work to raise your own chickens? That is a decision you will need to make yourself, however I can give you some insight to know what some of the benefits are to owning them. Here are the top 5 reasons:

1. Organic FRESH eggs: If you have never eaten an organic FRESH farm egg, you have been missing out in life. They taste so much better than the store bought eggs! The reason why is an easy answer. They contain WAY more nutrition. Here is a great article delving deeper into the subject of the nutrition of an organic egg. If you buy organic free range eggs, you will know that they are a lot more expensive than just the regular store bought egg. So it could be a great way to save money on buying those more expensive eggs. So taste and health benefits of the EGGS is a great #1 reason.


2. Organic FREE pest control: Chickens love to go around and eat slugs and snails and other bugs around the yard and garden. They will even eat little seedling plants- so any weeds that pop up, they will most likely gobble it up. All the while scratching up the soil (aerating) while leaving behind great fertilizer. They will eat up your veggies growing in the garden, so if they are left to there own all the time out in the garden, they may help themselves to your whole garden harvest. That is one thing you would have to be careful of. But with your monitoring, they would be a great help to take care of some of those pests in your garden. And a great clean up crew if you have fruit trees that drop some spoiled fruit to the ground- they will take care of that mess. And after the garden is all harvested, letting them loose to clean up all the dropped and spoiled fruit and veggies from the garden would be a great help for the garden.


3. Amazing Organic Fertilizer: Have you tried and failed at making a great fertilizer/ mulch for your garden from kitchen scraps? Well, chickens have a fool proof plan to making amazing organic fertilizer for your garden. Simply feed your kitchen scraps to the chickens. They are omnivores and thus you can give them just about all your kitchen waste and they will provide you with a great addition to your soil in your garden. Done.


4. Save $ on Garbage bill: this goes along with the making your own garden fertilizer. By feeding your chickens the kitchen scraps, this means you will no longer need to throw them away in your garbage- thus giving you less trash. This may mean less garbage cans, or it may not, but you can take pride in knowing you are contributing less waste to the land fill and thus is a greener option. Another small way you can make less of an impact on our environment.


5. Great pets: Having a pet has proven that they help lower your stress levels, and help you be happier. But dose your pet- dog, cat, turtle, etc. give anything back to you? Can you get great tasting eggs, or great fertilizer for your garden from them? Chickens can provide the same effect of happiness as the other pets you may have, but give oh so much more. They require less work than your typical pet too. Many times you do not have to feed them daily, but filling up the feed every few days or so depending on how much feed they go through. And if you are letting them free range, this could mean they go through far less food. Can you let your dog free range to fend for himself??

These are just some of the benefits I have thought of. I am sure there are many more. Please comment and share any that you have experienced yourself! Watch for more articles on the cost of raising chickens, how to get started, and more!

In the mean time, Happy Gardening!

How to Grow More With Less Space

Having a small growing space can be frustrating if you can not grow all that you would like. Here are 5 tips that will help you know how to get the most from your garden.

1. You might be tempted to plant your plants closer together to get more in your garden. This however will not work as the plants will not produce as much if grown closer together. You can, however, choose varieties that are high yield producers such as  growing green beans vertically, and even trellising the squash and cucumber plants.  Be sure that these plants do not shade the rest of your garden as it will reduce the amount your garden produces.


2. Be sure you amend your soil regularly with organic matter to make sure the soil in your garden has the most available nutrients for your garden. This will ensure that the plants you are able to plant will produce a good harvest.


3. There are some plants that tolerate a little shade. Just think if you are harvesting the plant for a fruit or the root, then it needs full sun. If you are eating the leaves or plant, then it can tolerate some shade. This might help you have areas to grow in your yard that you previously thought you couldn't grow.


4. Grow some smaller plants in containers on the patio. If you have limited space in your grow boxes, and still want to grow more, try planting your big plants in the garden, and the smaller plants in a big pot. Just remember that pots need to be watered much more often than plants in the garden. They drain very well and also heat up more than the soil in the garden, thus making them require more water.


5. The last option is to square foot garden. This is a great option for those who have a very small space. You are limited to growing smaller plants, and you will need to make sure and follow the requirements for the soil, as this is an important part of making square foot gardening work.

Be sure to plan and account for all that you want to plant. This will also help you get the most from your garden. Happy Garden Planning!

Top 5 Veggie Garden Articles

1. Common Tomato Aliments

2. Home Gardening



3. Encourage Beneficial Insects In Your Garden



4. Cute Stone Veggie Markers



5. Top 5 Vegetables That Grow Well In Shade

An Argument for Planting A Vegetable Garden

This is my persuasive argument to get you to plant a veggie garden this year. Many of you already do so, and I would ask for you to pass this on to your family and friends who do not yet plant a garden. Lets see how many people we can help to start gardening this year!

1. Some opponents to gardening might argue that growing a garden is too much work. My rebuttal would be: Growing a garden is less work than you think if you do it right. By starting out small it will help you gauge how big of a garden you can handle. Besides, growing a garden can help you to be more active, get outside and get some vitamin D, both of which will give you more energy for the other parts of your life.


2. Gardening is dirty. My rebuttal: That's What gloves, and/or a nail scrub brush, and/or some gardening shoes are for. There's something therapeutic about digging around in the dirt. Besides, few things in life are worth having that you didn't have to work hard and get dirty for.


3. I can buy veggies at the store, why go through the trouble to grow them?  My rebuttal: Growing your own veggies is a cheep way to get that healthy organic produce that everyone talks about. Home grown veggies have more vitamins and taste WAY better. Just ask my kids. It is a great way to add more veggies into your diet and it is cheaper than buying the produce from the store. So it saves you money and its healthier- I don't see any negatives to this.

• Sub argument: I like the way store bought veggies taste. Sub rebuttal: Then pick them 4  weeks before they ripen, put them in a cooler and drive them around in your car for 2 weeks, then eat them. Problem solved.

1. I don't have a green thumb and cant seem to grow a garden. My rebuttal: Plants are so basic in their needs. As long as you meet these, they will grow strong and healthy. Water often, plant in direct sunlight in rich soil. The sun is where they get the energy to grow. Full sun is best but some plants can tolerate partial shade. If that fails, find a friend who dose have a green thumb and volunteer to help them out for a season to learn their tricks. And of course follow this blog.


2. I do not have the space to grow a garden. My rebuttal: Yes you do. You can grow some in containers on your apartment patio, or rent a plot in a local community garden. Get creative and figure out a solution. There are many people in big cities that still grow a garden.


3. My soil is bad and will not grow anything. My rebuttal: Add organic matter, and lots of it. You can also get your soil tested at a local Aggie university for very inexpensive and that will tell you exactly what you need to add to your soil to make it conducive for growing plants. But you can't go wrong with adding nice composted organic matter. Doing a little homework on the soil in your area can go a long ways to help you grow a great garden.

This being the time of year for New Years Resolutions I say what is a better resolution than growing a veggie garden. It will help you get more active, eat better and help you be happier. AND it is a goal that is doable. I am so passionate about people growing their own Vegetable Gardens because I KNOW how good it feels to grow, harvest and eat fruits and vegetables that I grew. It makes me so happy and that is why I want to share it with you and help others find that  joy in growing a garden too. I don't think it is one of those hobbies that is just for some people. This is something everyone can and should do. There are solutions to every problem. I have friends who made their grow boxes 4 feet high so that someone in a wheel chair could help weed and take care of it. It is worth the small investment that it takes to start a garden- there are even solutions for that too. So many cheep ways to get a garden growing. Just take the plunge and get started this year.

Happy Gardening!!

Related articles

• How To Plant An Urban Garden (proplants.com)


• Community Garden Checklist (eastwoodcommunitygardens.wordpress.com)

3 Essential Tips for Selecting Seeds for Your Garden

It is a great time to start selecting seeds to grow in your garden this coming spring. There are a few things you should think about when choosing which seeds will do the very best in your garden.

1. First, you should find out how many average growing days are usual for your area. This can be done by looking up what the average first and last frost dates are in your area. For my area in the Salt Lake Valley, UT the last frost date in the spring is around May 10 or an easy way to remember is around Mother's Day. The first frost of the season in fall occurs usually the first or second week in October. So we have around 145 average growing days give or take a week or two.  This will make a difference especially for the warm veggies like tomatoes and squash. You want plenty of time to harvest from your garden. If you plant a vegetable that will start producing around the same time of the first frost in the fall that will really limit how much you will be able to harvest before the frost kills your plants. So when looking at seed catalogs or packets, there is a number that is for the days to maturity. Be sure to choose varieties that will work well with your growing season.


2. Next to the plant name will have either OP or F1. OP means Open Pollinated. This means the offspring of these plants will be very similar to the parent plants. Heirloom varieties are considered open pollinated. You can save the seeds from these plants to plant in your garden the next year. F1 means there were 2 different but similar varieties bred together to get this variety. You wont want to save these seeds as they will be inferior to the parent plants.


3. Remember to watch for specific qualities you want in the description. If it dose not tell you what you are looking for chances are they do not have that quality. For example a tomato that is good for sauce will say so. The description also usually tell you size, if it is disease resistant and any other special features it has.

Choosing the varieties and planning out your garden can make the cold months more bearable and even fun! (at least at my house.)

Happy Garden Planning!

Related articles

• Planning Ahead: Your Garden (sprinklerwarehouseblog.com)


• Understanding seed catalog terminology (wickedlocal.com)

How to Plan a Drip Irrigation System For Your Grow Box

[caption id="attachment_1606" align="alignleft" width="158"] Brown line in a grow box[/caption]

Having an automatic watering system set up for your garden can save you many hours over the course of the year. I love watering my garden by hand, but it takes dedication and consistency. It also makes it very hard to go over night anywhere during the summer.  It is well worth the few hours of work it takes to install the system. I would highly recommend doing a drip system vs a sprinkler system. Sprinklers do not conserve water as much of it evaporates, but also the leaves of the plants get wet opening them up for

[caption id="attachment_1603" align="alignright" width="210"] Battery powered timers in a box that is run with lines run underground.[/caption]

disease.  Your drip system can be run entirely over ground, partially under ground  or all the way under ground until you get to the grow box of course.

For example, if you do not have the infrastructure set up for the system to be under ground with the timers and pressure reducers already in place, you can do it from the hose sprocket! Simply connect the reducer, and the battery powered timer at the hose then run the hose over to the grow box, then run the drip lines around the grow box. That is the fastest way to install a system. The problem is the hose and pieces exposed to the sun and elements will deteriorate faster than if they are protected out of the elements.

[caption id="attachment_1605" align="alignleft" width="210"] Close up on how to connect brow line at the head of the box.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_241" align="alignright" width="210"] Reducers and timers in a system planned out and set up before the yard and garden was installed.[/caption]

Or you could dig some trenches around the boxes, and up into the boxes and connect into your water line. Then you can install in line timers for each box that are battery powered. The draw back to battery powered is they will need battery changes and you would need to watch for the batteries to need to be changed. But the nice thing about this is you can set each timer differently for each box so that if one box needs more water than another, you can customize it for each box.

The best method is to plan ahead, trench and run all the lines for each box ahead of time, then install the garden after. This will last the longest but will also take the longest initially to install.

[caption id="attachment_272" align="alignright" width="210"] This is a one gallon dripper that we used to use for our tomato plants. We changed over to the brown line for everything as it is less work than to adjust this to accommodate our garden changes every year.[/caption]

We used to customize our drip system every year depending on what we had planted there. For the tomatoes and squash plants we would install 1 or 2 gallon drippers and some would have the brown line with drippers every 6 to 12 inches. But after doing this a few years realized that it was not cost or time effective and the beds with the brown drip line seemed to work for even the tomato plants. So now we just do the brown drip line in all of the boxes. Then we don't have to worry about  changing it each spring depending on what we have planted.

Related articles

• Why a Drip Irrigation System? (diy-home-tips.com)

Onions- a Winter Crop?

[caption id="attachment_1591" align="alignleft" width="300"] An onion gone to flower. Soon it will have a seed packet in place of the flower.[/caption]

Have you ever left some of the small onions in your garden and have them come up strong the next year? When they do this, the second year they will go to seed and get a little ball at the tip of the onion stalk that contains the seeds. They can actually be quite pretty and fun to try in your garden. Onions can be a very easy crop to grow, but many times people will just get them started too late in the season to get a good crop to use with the other vegetables grown in the garden that year. Onions only need a few things:

1. Space. If you plant them too close together, sure you might get mature onions, but they might be bite size. So if your aim is large onions, give plenty of space that they will not even touch when they are full grown. I like to stagger my rows so that they can take up a little bit of the in between space of the other onions.


2. Time. Onions like a good growing season. If planted right they will be done right around the tomatoes in time to make salsa. If you plant them too late, you might be saving the onions for use over the winter and buying onions for the salsa. I like to plant enough onions for both. Try getting some onion seeds and planting them now- in the fall. The seeds will not germinate until spring, and once they do, they will most likely poke their green little leaves through the snow. It is such a fun thing to watch when you think nothing is alive in your garden to see the little onion seedlings growing.  By planting them this way, you will for sure get a good crop of onions in time for use with salsa. Just be sure not to plant the seeds too close together. They are very hard to thin out. You cant just trim the leave away- they will just grow new ones. You have to actually pull out the onion and you might destroy the other ones near by. So by careful seed sowing, you can more easily thin them out when the time comes.


3. Water and Soil. This is a given, but having a nice loamy soil with lots of organic matter, the onions will be able to grow nice and big. They also need consistent watering, spreading a nice mulch around them will help to keep the soil moist. They have a shallow root system and if left to dry out, it might stunt their growth. I like to put a soaker line around them for watering. This way the water can seep into the ground rather than flood it and run off to a lower spot to soak in.

I think you will find it a fun and rewarding experience to grow onions of any kind in your garden. They store so nicely too that you just might not need to buy any more onions again!! Check out our garden planner, and start planning your garden for spring- NOW!

Happy Gardening!

Related articles

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Bitter Sweet

[caption id="attachment_1530" align="alignleft" width="300"] The view of our garden from the back door.[/caption]

Some of you may have noticed that my articles have been far and few between lately. It is not that I have lost interest in the blog, but we have had a crazy summer. We decided to move homes. This has been a very bitter sweet thing for us. Leaving our home and our picture perfect garden was very hard to do. We left behind a vigorously growing garden with lots to harvest, knowing it was soon to be someone else's harvest. The sweet part came when we knew we would be moving to a home with a much larger yard and space for a garden twice the size of our last one. The possibilities are endless for the garden in our new home. So moving and getting settled in our new home has taken quite a while and we are not yet all settled yet. Thank you for your patience.

One of the things I am excited about is that we will be starting our garden from scratch again. There is nothing but bare ground. I can now document everything we do to show how to start a garden from nothing and how wonderful it can turn out to be. I may even need to do a little container gardening in the mean time as this will be an amazing amount of work.

If you have not yet taken the plunge into growing your own food, don't keep delaying! It is so gratifying and the rewards are endless. Just start this year by planning it out very carefully. If you need to build grow  boxes or start improving your soil- do so now so you can be ready one spring arrives. Planning a garden means planning for a harvest.

Happy Gardening!

How To Grow Vegetables To Save You Money

I don't know about you, but it seems like most people have thought allot about ways they can save money the past few years. More and more people have turned to growing their own food as one way to do that. That is a great idea, however, if that is your primary purpose of growing a garden, then you might want to consider that not all plants are going to produce equally for the amount of work, time and water involved. So to save you the trouble of figuring out which ones will give you the most bang for your buck here are a few ideas for you.

1. What is the #1 home grown crop in America? That's right: Tomatoes. These not only produce extremely well for planting just one crop, but pay off in taste too. You can make many expensive products at home from growing your own tomatoes too, like salsa, tomato/spaghetti sauce, and tomato soup. In my opinion, every home should have a tomato plant or two.


2. Squash. Particularly winter squash. They are easy to grow as long as they have sufficient water and room to sprawl. They produce very well, but the thing that puts them over the top is that it is so easy to store the produce for later use! After they ripen, simply wash the outside of them with a little chlorine water to kill any bacteria growing, and put them in a cool room and store for later use. You can easily grow enough winter squash for your family for the winter by just growing one or two plants!


3. Lettuce is such a great crop to grow and you can use the leaves so soon after they are planted, that it is a must in my garden. Not only do home grown salads taste so much better, it is so much cheaper than constantly buying the expensive bags and boxes of lettuce. Makes dinner easy too- just run out to the garden and pick some lettuce to make a great salad as a side or main dish for dinner. Love it!


4. Root veggies like beets, radishes, and carrots take up very little space and can be grown quickly for a quick harvest. Buying beets in particular can get expensive from the store, so growing your own can be a great place to save money.


5. Beans, pole or bush produce very well for the space they take up in the garden and are very easy to grow. They too can get expensive to purchase at the grocery store.

These are just some of the crops that can save you money by growing them in your garden. I hope this has given you some ideas for your garden, and that you will be able to plant a cash crop for yourself next year!

If you have any ideas of great money saving plants, please comment and let us know.

Happy Gardening!!

How to Build a Grow Box

Here is a video showing how to build a grow box.





Happy Gardening!