Tomatoes 101

Now that the tomatoes are growing and you are starting to see red... what do you do with them?

Yummy romas -- my favorite for sauces.

Well in growing, you plant, feed, prune, tend, etc.  Yet with the arrival of fruit you are constantly on the run from the garden to the kitchen.  I pick at least every other day, in season.

In preserving tomatoes, you can freeze them -- they loose their texture though so don't do this expecting fresh tomatoes in January.

If you are canning or making any preparation/sauce you start with taking off the skins.  Now, I personally find it more manageable to do this step the day before I prepare/can a recipe.  It cuts the amount of dishes and the time needed to process it down into a more manageable chunk.  If I didn't get to be mom at the same time, I'd probably do it all at once, but I just can't do everything all at once anymore.

Tomatoes 101 -- Remove Skins

1. Pick and store until fully ripe (sometimes they are slightly orange and the flavor and flesh will be better after a little sun).  I like to use these open flats from the garden center as the tomatoes don't end up rotting in a bath while ripening.

2. Clean your tomatoes.

3. Core -- you can use a knife, but a good friend clued me into this nifty gadget -- a strawberry/tomato huller.  It's a lot like a tiny melon-baller, but note the jagged teeth.  It's a very economical tool and it makes the process go like a breeze!

4. Blanch the skins off.  Drop cored tomatoes into boiling water for just a few minutes.  You will see the skins crack when they are ready.  *Do not over cook at this step -- it may ruin the texture of the tomatoes depending on what you are making.  Dip them out with a slotted spoon of your choice.  I like the spaghetti spoon for small ones, a frying spatula/dipper for bigger ones.




5. Drop them into a cold water bath -- this cools them enough you can handle them and helps the skin separate so you can peel the loose skins right off.  FYI -- my chickens won't eat the skins without fruit, so these can go straight to the compost.

6. Use or store.  Like I said, I do this step the day before sauce-making, so I put them in containers and store them in the fridge.  You can drop them directly into your food processor or on the cutting board if you are dicing them or making your sauce/salsa presently.  If you are canning them whole (or the large ones, halved/quartered), from this step you drop them right into the hot, sterile jars. Check your canning cookbook or manual or the steps and proportions of lemon juice and salt needed.

A last bit of wisdom from the hearth and home:

"You cook the tomatoes and you make sauce and you put it in your refrigerator.   When you are out of sauce you need to get more sauce or make salsa, because I like salsa."  ~DS3

There you have it... out of the mouths of babes... when you get tomatoes you make sauce or salsa :)  Stay tuned for lesson 2.  Until then, blessings to you!

Pickled Beets -- Love 'Em or Leave 'Em?

So pickled beets are an acquired taste, I know.  Many people either love 'em or leave 'em.  I find that people who like tart/tangy things like sour foods and pickles like them.  My picky eater DS1 will eat only select vegetables: raw carrots, corn on the cob, fresh salad, broccoli [on occasion - steamed with lemon], and pickled beets.  So I planted beets last year -- with the intention of canning pickled beets; the homemade ones have much more flavor!  I got 6 pints out of last year's crop -- so I tripled the planting this year!  So far I'm at 11 pints and more still growing in the ground.

FYI beets are a cold-weather root vegetable.  They need the cold to germinate; planting in July is not going to get you much.  They are about 55 days to harvest.  The deep purple variety are the most commonly grown (aka the garden beet); I planted back in April, and did a second planting where the groundhog robbed me of a few sprouts.  And for the last month I've been harvesting!  They will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (or more, if it's cold and in a good veggie bag).  I use the green zipper produce bags to keep things in my fridge until I get enough to make the canning worth my while.  Things typically last 1-3 weeks in those!

I'm on my second batch of pickled beets -- the first was about a month ago.  We don't eat them any other way (though I may get gutsy and try a beet salad this year).  My kids and I can down a pint at a meal, though the husband (healthy eater extraordinaire) turns his nose at them!  Ironic, huh?  Isn't it said that the darker the color of a veggie, the healthier it is?

So here's the how-to on one of the boy's favorite veggies -- Pickled Beets!

Pick [pull, really] the goods  --  they look like this (left) out of the ground.  The chickens LOVE the greens.  Or you can use tender greens in a salad, I've heard.  Not tried it myself, though.


Clean, Cook, & Drain -- Cook for 30-45 minutes in steamer basket (minimizes vitamin loss) until fork-tender.  My mother in law suggested the pressure cooker, but I've not done it that way, yet.  Drain and let cool a little so they can be peeled.

Syrup -- Start simmering the solution that will pickle the beets, at this time.  The Ball Blue Book recipe calls for whole cinnamon sticks and whole allspice.  This recipe is a solution of spices, sugar, vinegar, salt and water (get the book to get the proportions please -- never guess on canning recipes!).  Now's a good time to start your boiling water canner, too, as it takes a while to boil.

peeled

Peel, Slice & Pack -- Peel the beets, then slice (if desired) and pack in hot/sterile canning jars.  Often the peels will slide off the cooked beets, if they don't use a veggie peeler and it will do the trick!

cover

sliced

release any bubbles

Cover -- Ladle liquid over the beets, leave 1/4" headspace.  Use a plastic tool to remove air bubbles in the jars, and place the two-piece caps.

packed

Process -- Time to can it, gang!  Process in boiling water bath canner (front left in the photo) for the prescribed amount of time.  Remove and let cool away from drafts for 24 hours; test seals and put in storage!

four burners -- canning central

Voila' -- tasty veggies that will last the winter!  Friends have said how much they dislike beets -- but to me pickled beets are like veggie candy!

I love the way canning extends the garden through our whole year!

Blanching Broccoli

I'm kicking off my weekend with a want to do, instead of a need to do -- I get to write tonight!  Summer has been non-stop; and very hot, but enjoyable none-the-less.  I didn't even get an entry done for the end of June -- maybe we'll just roll it over to July and do a two-fer ;)   One of my favorite vegetables have been ripe over the last few weeks -- it occurred to me I've not yet shared the how to, so here you go. 

In the middle of our Midwestern heatwave, my kitchen last Sunday was steamed up.  I had 4 gallon bags full of broccoli from the previous week and there was only more to come.  Sometimes, even when you don't want to, you must do the work to gain the reward.  So I put on my big-girl garden galoshes and went forward in the words of DH to "suck it up and just do it."

First off, always use a trusted source for your food preservation recipes - never "wing it."  I L-O-V-E my Ball Blue Book; it's  economical, there's a wealth of recipes, as well as visuals for how to do the canning process correctly.  There are other good sources, too, including the USDA's home food preservation website.  For freezing broccoli, I pulled up my Ball Blue Book's freezing chapter.

Step 1: Harvest and cut broccoli into usable pieces (it will cook more evenly in a small to medium sized floret or cut, rather than large heads).  My kids won't eat the cuts and I personally don't like them either, so the chickens get those... but you will get more broccoli if you use the cuts of the stalks (the thicker ones are woodier, but the thin ones are quite tender)

Brine broccoli in salt solution, if bugs surface just
scoop them out and toss them to the chickens!

Step 2: Brine the broccoli.  It's inevitable that you will see bugs in the broccoli -- those little green worms love to hide in the florets.  The brine is a salt solution (you gotta read the recipe to get proportions, I'll not infringe on copyright) and it soaks in that for half an hour.

I picked up this fry spatula (I think that's what it is) at a
garage sale for a quarter, just for this purpose!

Step 3: Boil water; drain and rinse the broccoli.

Step 4: Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water for just a few minutes.  This stops the enzyme process that causes the broccoli break down.  The water will get a little greenish-brown, but you can still use it for the whole batch.

Step 5: After the timer is done, I remove the broccoli from the water and drain it again to get rid of excess moisture.

I use a tall oblong container to hold my bag up.
They make special holders, but I'm big on
using what I have if I can!

Step 6: Package and freeze.  You can use containers or freezer bags.  Package in portions that are easy for you to use in your recipes.  I like 2 cups in a freezer bag, I can always grab two if I need more :)  Lay it out in a single layer in the freezer if you can, so it freezes more thoroughly.

This can be reheated in a steamer, microwave, or mixed into a casserole -- pretty much just like you would use frozen broccoli from the store, but you have the knowledge of where it came from and how it was grown, you save money and get the satisfaction of feeding your family through what God has provided in your own backyard!  Bonus!  

I planted 25 broccoli plants this year, I'm hoping to get close to a year's worth of broccoli, so far I have 9 bags in the freezer and more to come.  If you've not heard (trust me, I didn't know until I read it in a garden book), broccoli is somewhat prolific when harvested to be so.  After the primary head is ready (just before the buds start getting big and opening), snip it off, but leave the plant.  Water and tend it as you would normally do, and you'll see secondary heads.  They are smaller, but will keep going for quite some time.  Get the biggest bang out of your plants whenever you can!

Now I know it's crazy to be sweating to death in my kitchen during a heat warning, but it needs done so I do it.  There are ways around the heat: while things are sitting on a timer, go sit in front of a fan, if you have time you can even jump in the pool quick.  We have a little stock tank in the back yard for the kids, but I go take a dip and then run back to the kitchen much better ~ in the cool wet suit to boot!

I've grown to really enjoy the concept of "Bloom where you are planted" -- the situation may not always be ideal, but through the experience, God will grow us and we will have the opportunity to bloom.  I'm still stuck on Galatians 5:22.  It's on our refrigerator's Learn * Pray * Praise board as our memory verse for June.  The core of that is that these good things, the Fruit of the Spirit, are things that are unquestionable.  I have this awesome thought for some artwork in regards to it -- a multi-canvas piece.  

Yet, the garden calls so the hobbies wait!  I must bloom where I'm planted, right?  If the dirt on my callused feet are any indication, I'm planted right in my garden for the season... with a regular foray into the kitchen to preserve it all!  I'm choosing to love every minute of it, and pray my way through the moments I don't love -- I hope you can do the same -- have a blessed week!

Plant, Weed, Mulch, Repeat

Sometimes life is slow going and other times it is non-stop.  The last half of May was going constantly...all good things, yet very busy.  Field trips, class events,wrapping up our MOPS year, planting the rest of the garden, baking for the school carnival, Mothers day, and a family weddng.  So how do I follow that?  I also joined a health/gym place for women only, so I can actually get in shape for the first time in my life without my psyche getting the best of me.  Busy times...very little left for online pursuits.  So, be forewarned my posts may be fewer and shorter.  Welcome to summer vacation!

Now the garden is in and the last of the seeds planted are just starting to peek out of the ground.  Come walk with me in my garden.

Back Patio: Mint, pansies and marigolds (edible blossoms) in planters.  Grapes are just a few feet away.  The grapes are taking off.  This is the second year for them, not sure if we will have grapes yet or not, but they are growing!  I also have a salad bowl and a tray of loosey-goosey plants that have no place in the garden...they will likely be given away.


Kitchen garden: Salad greens are up and will be ready to pick soon.  Herbs have done very well.  Already dehydrated one batch of parsley, two of cilantro.  I put two basil plants in: red and sweet.  The herbs have been going to seed early due to the early season this year.  Most of them are perennial or from last year's seed.






Tea garden: His is where my tea herbs (along with irises) reside.  The lavendar smells fantastic.  Chamomile looks to bloom soon.  Echnicea is struggling--dog has trampled it trying to herd chickens who are in the adjacent pen.  I just put in a rosemary, too.

Chickens: The seven hens are doing great.  Shortly after my last chicken post RedRoo did indeed crow.  It's not very loud yet, but his days are numbered.  They have taken permanent outdoor residency and thank goodness!  In waiting for the chicen coop to be done,the girls have discovered the old doghouse makes a nice shelter from sun and rain.  One night it was late when I got out there and they were all snuggled in so we decided they would be fine in there with a board in front of the doggie door to keep out critters at night.  The actual coop looks fantastic and was moved outside today!

Vine Patch: I'm trying something new here this year, combining plantings.  In the pst  have done 3 or 4 hills of pumpkins and had more than we needed.  This year I have two hills of pumpkins, one hill of watermelon, one hill of muskmelon.

Berries: The dry spell we had here did not do any favors.  We shall see...I don't expect great abundance.  I didn'tater the strawberries as much as I should have.  They have stalled out and some blooms dried up.  Doggone broken sprinkler.  Got a new one right before it rained again.  Go figure.  Blueberries should be on by the end of the month.  Some got frost nipped in early May, but some are still growing!

Fence-row:  I tried something new, planting my climbing cucumbers along the fence.  It sounds good in theory, but I have yet to see sprouts from the seeds.  Not sure if it's that something ate them or if I'm just not patient enough.  Time will tell.  I planted 5 hills, one on each fence post parallel to our main garden.

View from the north-east corner.

Main Garden:  So starting at the gate, as you walk in you will find...potatoes to the left, ready to bloom (5 rows of red and 2 rows of gold) the red are growing more consistently, but the gold are larger plants despite being planted two weeks later.  We'll see which are more productive in a few months!  To the right is the patch of corn -- 7 rows -- just starting to pop up (planted a week ago).  Keep walking and at the left (next to the potatoes) are the 5 rows of green beans.  They, too, were planted a week ago and have started popping up!  Take the left path from here and you see the 8 late cabbage and 3 early cabbage, 2 plants of dill, 2 rhubarb plants and 3 rows of onions.  I have finally managed a healthy onion patch -- 5th try's the charm.  Back at the center path, if you take the right path you see 24 tomato plants, 4 hot peppers, 12 sweet peppers, garlic, leeks, broccoli, a few last-minute cauliflower that may or may not make it (3 year olds don't always watch where they walk :p ).  Turn right at the cauliflower and you see 5 rows of carrots and 5 rows of beets.

View from the south-east corner.

View from the south-west corner.

Touch of Class hybrid tea rose.

Blooming: Out front I have clematis blooming still, and planted yellow petunias in the little wagon by the front step.  At the west of the house, my red asiatic lilies are in bloom (a month early, like most things).  You'll also find my wedding garden here -- planted on our 5th anniversary (3 years ago): white roses, irises (which are done blooming now -- they were supposed to be blue, but are really more purple), and delphinium in pale blue.  *heart smiles*  To the south of the house is my rose garden, in bloom, too.  This was planted for the love of roses I got from my grandparents, who always had roses.  :)

Ville de Lyon Clematis

It's been busy days in the garden.  Plant, weed, mulch, repeat.  It's a crucial process, especially with the dry weeks we've had; mulch will save your garden.  To a point, the weeds actually help your garden, shading the soil.  Yet, eventually they will overtake your plants and steel nutrients.  Better to pull them and mulch the soil.  You can use the weeds you have pulled or wood chips (untreated, uncolored).  We chip up the trimmed tree limbs every season and that provides most of what we need.  You can also get truck/trailer loads from a local landscaper or yard-waste landfill.  They don't have to be fancy, just cover the soil so the dirt doesn't dry as quickly.  Extra bonus: mulch becomes compost, and thus adds back to your soil!

I love the road in the woods image...
added three little squirrels just for a personal touch ;)

Last bit of the check-in for May/June =

Goals: My goal was to paint the picture ...and... I did it!!!  I am so excited to say I actually did it.  I've been keeping that blank canvas on the easel since October.  I'm not fabulous artist, but I love to paint and I love to save money by doing things myself.  It was a fantastic night to just get lost in the paint... I didn't go to sleep until 11:45, but it was a great night!

   Next month, my goal is to get the clutter cleared out: garage sale!


Lessons: Life takes lots of tending and maintenance and sometimes we wish we weren't responsible for that; but make sure you don't waste all that effort of the past by neglecting it now.  It's not fun to be unkempt or parched.  Do what it takes to nurture your family, yourself and your relationships.  Most of all don't neglect your relationship with the Creator -- He cares intimately for you and your concerns.  It's so hard, but let Him help you carry the burdens, He is waiting for you to do so.

Budget-Saving Garden

There are three reasons I grow a garden.  The top reason for me and my analytical brain: saving dollars makes sense!  The other two are health (knowing what my food is exposed to is very attractive) and industry (being productive and teaching the boys to work for what they have is enjoyable to us).  With three growing boys all three of these topics are near and dear to my heart.

I read that the average garden costs $70 to put in and has a return of about $1 per square foot.  Our garden consists of 40x45' main garden, 10x10' strawberry bed, 4x7' herb garden, 4x7" salad garden, 24sf of blueberries, 3x20 pumpkin patch (though it grows past that).  Grand total: 2040 square foot of food-producing garden.  That doesn't include our chickens, who will be making eggs this fall.


For me numbers make more sense than just saying -- "save money by doing this!"  So here's an example of a spring's garden spending.  My spending total so far:

Asst. Seeds (some 2-3 years worth)  $23.69

Growing pots, flats, seed starter    14.95

Bulk Onions (est)     2.00
Garlic Bulbs     3.20

Hot Pepper Plants (budgeted)     5.00

3.45# Seed Potatoes at $0.54/#      1.99

20 Broccoli Plants      6.94

8 Cabbage Plants      3.38

$61.15

I also get a $15 budget for annuals (flowers) every year and stretch that across wherever.  This year I spent $11.20 on 27 pansy plants (3 9-packs) and planted them in 4 planters and 3 hanging baskets.  I'm also allowed to add one perennial landscaping plant/grouping.  I watch for canning supplies on sale -- just bought a few flats of quarts for $7.99 a dozen -- long term investment.  I would advise setting your limits for each category and sticking to them -- that's the best way to budget!  Keep all your receipts in one place to make this easier.

Some tips for making your garden dollar stretch:

• Start your own plants, if you can.  A sunny south or west window works great.  Make them only one layer deep or they will be reaching across the shelf/table for the sunlight.  Some plants like to be misted rather than drenched -- keeps the leaves from drying out in the house once you take the dome off.  Start them in small pods/packs, then transplant the ones that do indeed grow into bigger pots so they grow better and deeper.

Saw this on Pinterest and had to give a go!

• Store your leftover seeds.  Some seed packages go a long way (like tomatoes and lettuce).  I can stretch then 2-3 years, some times up to 5 with herbs.  Store them in a cool, dark, dry place to prevent them from starting to germinate or decompose.  I have a shoebox that I store closed, in our basement, over the winter.   http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/seed-viability-zb0z1203zmat.aspx has some great info on this topic.

• Save containers.  You can reuse many containers/growing trays for years.  This year I had to do some replacing/restocking so my bill was a little higher than normal.  This goes for the containers your store-bought plants come in, too.

• Watch for things to be on sale -- Most garden stuff goes on sale early in the season to get people excited and buying.  After-season clearance is a great time to shop, too -- if you don't need it immediately.  You can often get shrubs and perennials for 1/2 price at that point!

• Look into saving your own seeds from year to year.  I've not done this yet -- but that would cut my bill in half!

Cut Hosta into 1.5 - 2 inch sections and plant, making sure
you have multiple leaves and a good section of root.

• Get perennials from gardening friends if you can.  Strawberries send off shoots every year.  Hosta grows exponentially, the same goes for bulbs and rhizomes.  Our hosta around the north and east of the house came from a single plant at my parents' house, the ones around our patio splits off my sister's plants, lilies came from my in-laws neighbors.  Odds are, they are just looking to get rid of the excess and it's a win-win!

• Trade plants with friends.  If she grows hot peppers and you grow sweet peppers, there's bound to be extras of each.  Help each other out!

Multitasking -- while sauce simmers, make jam!

• Plant for what you want to preserve -- you save even more money off your grocery bill by cutting out prepared items and making it yourself (My spaghetti sauce from the garden averages 1.41 a quart, compared to 1.98 at the store -- less if my onions and peppers do better this year; strawberry rhubarb jam is 1.77 a pint -- compared to 3.95 at the store.)

Do it yourself!  That's what a garden is all about -- grow it, dig it, plant it, tend it, harvest it -- reap the rewards!  Your family will benefit, not only financially, but also in health!

Being frugal is a big part of our lives.  Not just for the times and the economy, but also for the sake of being good stewards of the resources we have.  How awesome it is to see a $1900+ net return on our garden!  All on the platform of being willing to work for what we have and the faithfulness of our Lord to provide through it!

April 2012 - Cold Weather Growers

April is drawing to a close, and I thought a garden tally was appropriate, for those of you wondering what to grow and when -- or just what I do with my day besides blogging and chasing boys.  The unseasonable warmth had me put these things in a little early (some a week or so before normal), but I don't think it's too late to plant them yet.  Just make sure they have enough water as it gets warmer.  A partly shady garden spot will extend the growth of these plants, too, as it's cooler in the summer than the full-sun areas.

Potato plants coming up now.

By the end of this April I have the following in my garden:  26 broccoli plants (some home-grown, others store-bought as my seedlings were very thin this year), 5 rows or red potatoes (from last years stock), 2 rows of yukon gold (purchased), 3 rows of red onions (purchased), a square plot of garlic (3 cloves), 5 rows of beets, 5 rows of carrots, and 8 cabbage plants (new this year).  I have pea seeds, but I'm still not getting my trellis figured out.  Ideally I'd like a trellised entry over the gate, but that means buy ($$ no thanks) or adding another construction project.  I'll have to keep noodling that one around.

Finally, it's a salad garden, instead
of strawberries!

I'm looking forward to fresh salad and herbs.  Some herbs are approaching bloom already -- insane early!  The salad garden is just starting to pop out of the ground.  I also have a salad bowl planter and a planter with chives next to the patio for quick-grabs.

I've staked off the peppers and tomatoes.  Strawberries are blooming (early, I might add) and I don't have the heart to pluck the blooms like I'm supposed to -- I may just let them go and see what happens.    Blueberries and grapes are in various stages of blooming, too.  This will be our first year harvesting those.

This week was also spent transplanting plant starts so they will grow better.  The tomatoes last Thursday (into peat pots a little bigger than the 9-pack seed starters).  Peat pots are worth the expense to me because you don't disrupt the roots when planting in May.  I did the same for the strawberries Tuesday and peppers yesterday (Wednesday).  I'm growing for myself and a few friends.  The leftovers will go in the garage sale for a few extra bucks.

Dog pen, soon to be chicken run.

Chickens, foraging in the green grass.

Our chickens were the big adventure of the month.  They are about 4 weeks old and growing like crazy!  The coop is coming along and boys are trying so very hard to be helpful.  Eventually we will move the shed, clean out the seldom-used dog pen, put Tula's house and a tie out elsewhere in our yard (only to be used when we will be gone for most of the day), set up the coop and have those chickens outside.  For now, they still spend their nights in the brooder box indoors and their days in a re-purposed kid-pen in the sunshine and grass.

Finally, it's always enjoyable to beautify the yard, too!  The boys went around with the garden sheers and trimmed around beds and fixtures.  I planted some pansies in hanging baskets and pots.  I get a $15 budget for annuals (flowers) every year, only spent $11.20 and filled 4 planters and 3 hanging baskets.  I could grow more flowers for the buck from scratch -- but without grow lights, some don't do as well.  I'll be planting marigolds and sunflowers (leftover from previous years' seeds) in the main garden for varmint control and pollinator attraction.  I have a few other potted annuals that were actually in the house over the winter -- one more way to save the bucks!

Miss Bateman Clematis (climber)

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (shrub)

Just a glimpse of what's blooming, for posterity's sake:  Clematis -- my Miss Bateman is blooming, but the Ville de Lyon (pink-red) and the purple/white one (the name escapes me) are not quite there yet -- just buds.  The iris are just popping -- they are one of my faves -- especially the blue ones in my anniversary garden, as those were one of our wedding flowers.  The roses are budding, but not open yet.  The lilacs are just finishing (a month early!)  My flower bushes in the front yard bloomed about two weeks ago and are now just a pretty red leaf.

Hanging baskets --
$2 planter, $1.24 in plants each

Last month I made the point of setting a goal: to paint the picture for our bedroom.  Nope -- didn't get it done.  Guess I'll have to forward that to next month.  I did do some creative things, including some gifts for others, finishing a 2-year crochet project, brainstormed a few ideas, and fixed a few pairs of shoes with my trusty hot glue -- that's a craft, right?  In truth, I feel I get my creative edge when I dig and plant, too.  I'm so blessed be able to get dirty and nurture the various life in and around our home.  Being a mom is just kind of like that -- a little messy, but well worth the rewards!

A Time To Sow

Oh what a beautiful sunshiny day it was here!  I couldn't resist.  After a little errand-running with DH and DS3, I came home to dig in the dirt.  Scored the fencing for my strawberry bed.  On the advice of more experienced gardeners, I've resigned myself to the fact we will not have berries because we need plant growth this year.  I also found a new Joseph's Coat climbing rose!!! These are so hard to find!  And...we bought windows for the chicken coop ~ DH was already digging into his stash of 2x4s and framing walls this afternoon (I love that handy man of mine!)  His design is loosely based on a photo he found online ~ pics to come as the work progresses

So, the sun was shining, the sons were in the sandbox, and DH was in the garage.  After the last week of frosty nights, I had 3 loads of towel/sheet laundry on the line.  And what would be more natural than digging in the dirt?  Today I planted onions, garlic, lettuce, and staked off other plants to come later in the season (place-holders if you will).

There's a list of cold-weather veggies that would tolerate a mild frost, and I try to get those in as early as possible.  Around here the deep summer is too hot for these goodies, so plant early or don't plant.  Good Friday is a good goal for things like that, other books I've read say "as soon as you can work the ground."  Here are my early spring plantings: Potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, lettuce, spinach, peas, and broccoli.


Now, the potatoes and beets have been in for a few weeks thanks to our mild weather, and are starting to peek out of the ground.  Carrots are in, but not up yet.  Today was onions (I'm trying yet again -- never had good luck with them before), garlic (new this year), and salad greens (in the former strawberry raised bed, closer to the house).

For the onions we bought from the open stock of onion bulbs, and only bought ones that already have green growing; planted them every 6" alternating in true square-foot advantage.  I'm hoping this increases my success rate -- I refuse to give up!  The garlic came as a set of 3 bulbs -- which you split into cloves and plant at 3" intervals.  We use a lot of garlic, so I'm looking forward to having fresh.

I'm so excited to have a true "kitchen garden" now, in addition to the large veggie garden.  DH built a double 4x7' raised bed a few years back.  This is about half the yard closer to the house -- very handy!  The lower tier is herbs, and the upper tier is now salad garden.  Today I planted spinach, gourmet blend lettuce, green ice lettuce, and mesclun seeds.  I also had a few lettuce plants, started three or four weeks ago, so those went in as well.

The peas and broccoli will have to wait for another day.  I need a trellis figured out before I decide where to plant the peas.  My broccoli is not quite big enough to be hardy yet, they are still indoors.  C'est la vie.  Can't do it all in a day, right?

I was motivated by the sunshine, yes.  But also the upcoming forecast.  We've had a cold snap, as can be expected in April.  Most of my plants made it through fine.  There's a little frost-nip on the grapes, but most of the plant is still good.  The lows aren't supposed to dip below 35 for the next 10 days, and 5 days have rain predicted at some point or another -- perfect growing weather!  One of the best gardening tips I can give: plant right before the rain... you save yourself from having to water, and nothing soaks the ground and seeds like a good rain anyway!  Many times I find myself getting those last few seeds in while it's sprinkling -- and it works well.

So as we are told, there is a time for everything under the sun, it is wisdom to recognize it and make the most of it.  A time to cozy and crochet (which I did over the days I nursed a cold), a time to bake (anticipating a joyful holiday with the family), a time to cover plants (being prudent on the freezing nights), and a time to sow (today!) and a time to get that laundry off the line (now, as the sun just set).  What a joy to take each day as it comes and make the most of it -- even when it's jam-packed and challenging!  A favorite of our family: This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

All Part of the Plan

This week, as I tweaked my own garden plan, I was reminded that good planning makes a world of difference in your garden.

Now I've admitted I'm a bit type A ~ and I tend to get warm-fuzzies from having everything planned out and on paper (or digitally so, as the case may be).  That's not to say everything always goes as planned ~ I've already changed a few things on mine for the year, and it's only March!  If you're not like me, some of these ideas may be overkill or even stressful.  This is what works for me.  I hope you take what you can use to make your own garden and homestead a success ~ and know that it's okay to make mistakes, too, because they help you learn!

First of all, a disclaimer: I have been gardening for about 8 years now.  Gardening in the food-producing sense.  I grew up tending plants and flowers, inside and out, but not much vegetable gardening at our own home -- a few tomatoes or peppers was it, usually.  My Babi (buh-bee, Czech for grandmother) had a little garden I used to help her with as a child, but it was occasional at best.  I don't claim to be an expert, but rather a well-read hobbyist of sorts.  I'm no master gardener, but I'm definitely learning as I go and enjoying almost every minute of it.

DH grew up on what could be called an urban homestead, the family garden was bigger than most city lots.  So when we got hitched, the garden was already in the ground.  Those first few years were me helping him.  I couldn't contain my excitement as it grew, and soon I asked if I could take over the planning and planting.  I was convinced that a little foresight (again, type A -- DH is fantastic at making things happen, but the lack of a plan drove me nuts) would give us greater yield.  So I put on yet another hat: GardenMama.

It was a slow progression from helping him, to doing it mostly myself, with a few kids thrown in just to keep it interesting.  Seven-months pregnant and weeding onions, not my most graceful moment -- but I kept trying, as should you!   Every year we add something new, and/or make the garden itself bigger.  Eventually, I realized it really is better to do it teamwork-style, we can do more with less exhaustion.  However, the more we do, and the more kids we have, the harder it is for me to remember everything that's out there or been done already.

So, back to garden planning.

Journal: The biggest helper for me now, is to note everything I can note from year to year.  This is good for what works and what doesn't, so you remember for next time.  I also jot down my perennials (flora and food) -- when and where we bought it, how much it cost, any pertinent info on the tag (like fertilizer or tending instructions) and where exactly I planted it if it's in a mixed garden (like the herbs).  You can either use a "garden journal" specifically for gardening, a spiral notebook, or even using a word/drawing document on your computer.  I've grown to like the last option best because I can send it to my e-reader and have it with me when I'm shopping or away from home.  It's also easy to make changes in diagrams or goals, as well as keeping charts of what exactly is planted and when.

Research: Know what you are growing -- its likes and dislikes, needs, etc.  Some good books will help.  I have a [brand name] Guide to Vegetebles that goes through veggie by veggie with details from seed to harvest.  I also have a homesteader's book with lots of info on a variety of things and month-by-month yard/garden guide book made specifically for our state.  There are great websites out there with similar information, and most areas have classes and seminars offered by true master gardeners.

Document: This goes beyond the journal.  A journal is your story, but it also helps to jot down what varieties you've planted.  If you start seeds, it may just save you from wondering if you've got duds or if they are just not up yet.  I jot down the brand, variety, when I started the seeds, how many I started, and what the package indicates for germination time.  I also leave room for results.  In the words of my DS1's favorite science show: "I like checking out charts; charts rule!  A chart is handy-dandy scientific tool." :)

My 2012 garden, subject to change, but at least I have a plan to start from!
Key: Top Rt - Peppers, Red circles, center - Tomatoes, R - Rhubarb,
Br - Brocolli, B - Beens

Draw: Having a diagram of your garden helps when the plants are small, or if you don't remember which variety is where.  Again, so you can eventually track how everything does and add that to your seed/plant charts.  This will also help you make the most of your space.  I do mine on an office drawing document so I can move things around and try different layouts.  Before that I used graphing paper and colored pencils, which also worked well.  With paper, I just glued it into my garden journal as part of the year's information.




Set Goals:  To decide what to plant and how much to plant, you need to know your goals.  I found a great book that lists how much you need to plant per household member: [The Backyard Homestead: Produce All the Food You Need on Just a Quarter Acre, by Carleen Madigan].  Not advertising, just saying it's a good read.  So, it recommends 5 plants of broccoli per household member, and I have 30 in my plan (a few extra for good measure).  Another part of goals is what you want to produce.  Are you looking at a fresh-eating summer garden?  Salads, fresh veggies, berries?  Or, do you want to preserve for the winter?  Stew, salsa, sauce, jam?  Find the recipes now, look at the ingredients, and try to grow as much as you can yourself!

Our backyard, in rough sketching (not quite to scale).
Note the green O's -- trees.  Some of those may have to go
eventually.  We fence the main garden with 3' garden
fencing to keep kids from running through. We also plan
on putting the eventual chickens in the dog pen, and possible
fruit trees to the east of the house, in the front/side yard.

Placement: If you don't have a garden in yet, you need to decide where to put it.  Depending on what you're growing, sunlight, moisture, and space are determining factors.  Watch for close-by trees, which as they get bigger will shade your plants and put roots into the garden space.  If it's a perennial plant you are putting in (like those bloomin' strawberries) make sure you know how much space they need at maturity and plan for that.  It may look like you only have tiny plants now, but they will spread out.  Perennials are best outside the "main garden," for me.  Then, when we till the veggie garden, we don't have to work around perennials -- I have two rhubarb in the main garden, and I don't think they will be there much longer!  Finally, be aware of kids and pets, either put the garden where they can't get to it, or fence it in.  Little ones will run right through, not caring about the bean sprouts you've been nurturing!

Form & Function:  I urge you to try and find ways to make your functional garden beautiful and relaxing to be around.  This will save you stress, and make it part of your yard, instead of entirely utilitarian.

Be Reasonable:  It's easy to get ambitious on paper, but start where you are at.  When I was first learning, our garden was about half the size it is now, with no outlying plantings.  As I got my feet as a gardener, I felt ready to start something new, maintain more, and grow more.  I guaranty, if you start your first garden at this level, you will more than likely get overwhelmed and give up.  It may be more than you can handle in maintenance, or the plant might have certain needs you don't expect and you lose the crop.  Better to lose a few tomato plants than thirty.  Take on what you know you [and your family] can manage, learn from it, and then grow from there!

Pray & Praise: Trust me when I say His help is exactly what you need to succeed in your efforts.  It can be done on our own skill and labor, but I've found the blessing more abundant and the work more sustainable when I ask God's blessing and give Him the praise for the result.  Pray as you plant.  Praise as you harvest.  Bless others with the abundance.  The Lord will shine through your efforts, if you are open to being an instrument of His efforts.

Just remember the wisdom in the Word: our plans are not the first priority ~ His is better, even if we don't see it.  The Lord always provides (even when things don't go "right"); appreciate what you are learning, even in failure...for through it all, He won't forsake you or your family.  If you are excited about gardening, then I'm with you!  You will truly be blessed by knowing you and your family can be more self-sufficient as long as you put credit where it is due -- to the One who provides for you, even through your labor and skills He has granted you.

Ready for Spring?

Good day, friends!  Here in the mid-west our last few weeks of winter have been suspiciously summer-like.  Not kidding you, the kiddos asked me to fill the pool yesterday.  Near record highs have my garden (and everyone else's) doing wonky things.  It's also messing with me.  My allergies (and those of DearSon#3) are a mess.  Here in March I find myself already bringing out the big guns: antihistime and eyedrops (my typical allergy meds and asthma meds usually do it for me until June).  So here's where I choose to be content with it anyway.  

Blueberry bushes budding (2nd season for these)

I could easily be miserable, and lazy (my head feels like a fog).  Instead I'm going to find the silver lining.  March/April/May are usually nice for me.  Not so cold as to hinder my breathing, but the allergies are low.  Not this year.  Trees are budding, plants are sprouting, bulbs are up and ready to bloom.  So the silver lining is I can get a jump on my winter clean up!  May as well, since everything's growing anyway.  In being industrious there is contentment, for me.  Busyness, not so much -- I can be busy all day and still get nothing done -- but industrious, absolutely!

Roses (and lilacs) are budding like crazy!
Leaving the mulch for now.

It seems odd to be doing my spring clean up in winter, but c'est la vie ~ make hay while the sun shines, right?  So, the last two days were spent watering my transplanted strawberries (they are still alive and look to be growing!!!), tending my seedlings for this year's garden, cleaning weeds out while they are still dormant, taking frost-killed foliage out of the bulbs, hosta, and herbs, and pruning some bushes and roses (yes, I know this is better done in the cold, but we never got a lasting freeze -- I kept waiting for it, but it didn't stick around long enough).  The kids have been loving the weather, bare feet in the sandbox -- which of course gets tracked in and gives me yet another clean up to do, but I digress.  

Found the irises (center) and the chamomile (right)

I'm knocking things off my spring chore list, and it's not even spring yet!  I'm a tad type A ~ so I really enjoy crossing things off that list ;)  Some of these have yet to be tackled, but I love getting a jump on the list.  

Started 54 tomato seeds (3 types) this year --
planning on 28 in our garden.  Plant it forward, right?

This is the list I usually hit in late April / early May:

• start seeds, thin, add dirt, fertilize
• transplants/moving/thinning of perennials
• shape bushes
• ready herb garden
• take potted plants out for sunshine
• clean up after dog, tidy kennel
• till garden / plant taters (Good Friday)
• mulch around trees
• remove mulch from roses, tulips, herbs
• clean out dead leaves from perennials (I tend to let these mulch themselves, kinda lazy I know, but it seems to work)
• bring out sandbox toys and kids toys/bikes
• put out solar light spikes around sidewalks (new this year!), planters, and decor
• clean up garbage and broken stuff that has collected inside our fence 
• Start a load for the dump... if it's broken and you are not going to fix it SOON -- don't keep it!

Herb garden: chives, thyme, cilantro (seeded last year)

A few surprises, that will make a beautiful summer, if we don't get a late winter blizzaster:  Roses never died out (typically you lose the stems more than 6-12" above ground because it's just too cold and you can't cover them well) -- they are budding all the way up the 4' stems.  You see, I never pruned them because we didn't have a lasting freeze this year; they will be very full this year.  My parsley never died either last year, so I may have herbs early, too!  I see daffodils, tulips and irises growing... so color is on its way!

Parsley growing!

Sure, I could be worried we are headed for drought as there is no snow melt to saturate the ground.  I could fret over a late frost killing all those tender buds and plants.  I could even dread my garden not growing correctly because it's too hot all summer long.  But tomorrow will take care of itself, right?  

That's not to say I don't make preparations, but it's just not worth worrying over.  I cover my roses on frost warning, and we're installing rain barrels on our gutter system this year to conserve water.  I'm saving some of those things on the list until the right time of year, after frost risk.  But I'm reminded over and over: our Lord provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, how much more will he provide for us?!  There's no sense in worrying, in fact, we are directed not to do so.  We can and should be prudent, good stewards of what is in our care.  It took me a long time to learn to discern the difference.  We do what we can, the rest is in His hands -- and he already knows what's going to happen!  We just need to make the best of what's before us ~ attitude is a choice!

Relocating Strawberries

Today's Adventure: Relocating Strawberries

I planted 4 strawberry plants 2 years ago.  Second season found us with a 4x7' patch filled to capacity.  It was productive with 7# produce too!

Yet, I find myself second-thinking my placement.  DH tilled a 10x10 patch last year but we never got them moved.  So what's a mama to do with unseasonably early spring?  Kick some boys outside and start digging, of course!  I moved about half the strawberries for now and I'll take care of the rest when I know if these take.  I may lose production this year...hoping by moving them so early I won't!  My ultimate goal is to fill the 4x7' box with salad greens instead.  It's much closer to the house and adjacent to the herb garden.

As a back-up plan, I brought 16 strawberry plants in pots inside to hopefully get growth that way too!   If I do it three ways, something's bound to stay alive, right?  If not... I've learned it's not the end of the world to start over, either ~ another life lesson.