It might not feel like it, but the official start to spring is this Sunday! It’s too early to start my outdoor plants, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give my indoor plants some love.
Continue reading7 Ways to Spring Clean Your Houseplants
Tag Archives: garden
How to Build a DIY Greenhouse with Old Windows
First things first: Building a DIY greenhouse with old windows will vary from project to project. The process depends a lot on the size of the windows you source, as well as the area that you have for your greenhouse. Therefore, I’m not going to include any measurements with this post. This is going to be a helpful tips and tricks sort of post, as well as a divulgence of costs post. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them down in the comments below.
Continue readingHow to Get Rid of Weeds: The Fast and Easy Way!
Ya’ll. I may have stumbled across something that changes the way I garden forever! Let me tell you a little story… I was pretty distraught this weekend. My garden, due to my negligence, was completely full of weeds and grass. So much so that I thought I might just have to abandon it and see if anything grows in between the weeds and grass. Continue reading
2016 Garden Plans
I’m a little bit late to start my garden from seeds this year. But lately I’ve been feeling like I’m a little bit late to everything. That’s no excuse not to start planting and that’s no excuse not to start anything in life. Am I right?! Continue reading
2015 Garden Report
I’ve had a few people ask about the results of my garden–which is super flattering. I still love gardening, I just didn’t keep statistics like I did last year. It can be time consuming to log everything you grow.
This year I planted zucchini, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, crookneck squash, peppers, potatoes and carrots. I planted the zucchini and carrots first. Too much rain washed all of the zucchini out of my garden and the carrots were washed all over the garden. The carrots ended up growing in chunks instead of neat rows. I was very disappointed about the zucchini because it was a huge crop for me last year. And it makes great noodles!
Since I planted more tomatoes this year, I had a great crop. The cherry tomatoes have produced for months and are still producing! (I don’t expect this to happen for much longer.) The heirloom tomatoes did well, but I think I had a slight case of blight and they didn’t reach their full size potential.
On a funny note, I must have bought the wrong pepper seeds. I thought I bought sweet peppers, but the peppers ended up being so hot that we couldn’t eat them! I managed to put a few into salsa and chili, and give some away, but most of the peppers ended up uneaten. I hate waste, but when I bit into one, I couldn’t breathe. They were that hot.
The squash bloomed and produced for a good two weeks, then died suddenly. But for those two weeks, it was a stunner! My purple potatoes were the biggest surprise. Since they grow underground, I felt like it was a huge gamble. The flowering part of the potato plants looked great, but I had no idea what was going on under the surface. When I finally dug them up, I was so relieved. I ended up getting pounds of potatoes off of two starter potatoes!
Although I spread nutritious soil on the surface of my garden, next year, I will probably dig deeper or use raised beds. The soil where I live is incredibly sandy and I think it has resulted in poor growth and small veggies.
Every year I learn something new with this little garden.
Did you plant a garden this year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
love,
melanie
2015 Garden Update
Last year I did a really good job of documenting my gardening adventure. (You can read about How much money can a garden save by clicking that link.) This year I’ve had other priorities and other stuff going on. I did manage to get plants in the ground. I haven’t managed to weed much! Eek!
Potatoes!
This past weekend, I got in there and weeded for hours. My garden hasn’t faired as well this year. The weeds are taking over and right after I planted the majority of the seeds we had a torrential downpour. My carrots were washed are all over the garden and my zucchini got washed away completely. The potatoes are fairing well, as are the container tomatoes.
Tomatoes!
I still think a garden is a worthwhile investment. I can’t wait to eat a fresh-off-the-vine tomato and weeding is good exercise.
How is your garden fairing this year? Let’s chat in the comments!
love,
melanie
How Much Money Can a Small Garden Save You? An Update
This is an update on a post I published over a month ago when I thought my plants were done producing. Guess what? They weren’t done! And I’ve saved more than I thought initially! I’ve updated all the prices to reflex my bumper crop 😉
Remember when I thought I couldn’t grow anything. Remember?! REMEMBER?! Well, I am beyond excited to report that my brown thumb has turned green, ya’ll. And today is your lucky day because I have a run down of the costs of my garden and, AND the cost if I simply went out and purchased the food. I am on fire.
| Price of Seeds | Cost at CSA* or Harris Teeter | Amount Produced | Price if purchased |
| Heirloom Tomatoes ($1.79) (unavailable at Home Depot, link to similar product) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 53 | $79.24 |
| Squash ($1.35) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 0 | $0.00 |
| Zucchini ($1.19) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 16 | $23.92 |
| Bell Peppers ($1.59) | $1.99 (for 2)* | 133 | $132.34 |
| Banana Peppers ($1.59) | $0.43 | 151 | $64.93 |
| Onions ($1.59) | $1.27 | 2 | $2.54 |
| Pumpkins ($1.43) | $6.99 | 3 | $20.97 |
| Cucumbers ($1.35) | $0.79 | 21 | $16.59 |
| Sunflowers ($1.35) | $2.29 | 7 (about 2 cups) | $2.29 |
| Brussels Sprouts ($1.59) | $3.49 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Supplies | |||
| Potting Soil (used sparingly to start seeds, previously purchased) $0.00 | |||
| Gloves and a trowel (given as birthday gift) $0.00 | |||
| Plow (borrowed) $0.00 | |||
| Fencing to keep out critters ($34.97) | |||
| Garden Safe Insect Killer ($5.79) | |||
| Garden Safe Fungicide ($5.47) | |||
| Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Fruits and Vegetables Granules ($12.47) | |||
| A cucumber plant when my other cucumber plants died (gifted from my FIL) $0.00 | |||
| Tax | |||
| $5.14 | |||
| Total Spent | Total Produced (plus tax) | Total Savings | |
| $78.56 | $366.82 | $288.26 |
Additional Notes:
Garden Start Up Costs
I kept my start up costs very low. I didn’t create raised beds and my garden was by no means
“pretty.” I can’t keep up with Martha here. This isn’t rural New England!
Quite a few people around the blogosphere make a big deal about the start up costs of gardens. There’s very low start up costs if you keep it low. And yes, there is no guarantee that anything will sprout (just look at my squash!), but if you are successful, growing a garden can be a fun way to save on grocery costs.
Store Pricing
I used my CSA’s veggie pricing when available because I think it more accurately reflects the pricing of local produce. When not available, I used the pricing of a local grocer, Harris Teeter. (Yes, I know veggies might be cheaper somewhere else, this is just a good estimate, ya’ll!)
Novice Gardener
I think it’s also important to note that I am totally a beginning gardener. This is my first time keeping anything alive– including houseplants! I know there will be bad years and good years, but I believe with experience my vegetable gains will increase, thus increasing my savings.
The time factor
Yes, growing a garden (even a small one, like mine) takes time. Most weekends I was out there pulling weeds. I watered the plants almost every day (unless it rained). P.S. We have well water, so there was no cost for the water. But growing something, ANYTHING, keeping it alive, then eating something I grew with my own two hands has been one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. EVER! And that includes getting my Master’s degree.
Have you ever planted a garden? If so, were you successful? Do you think it saved you money? Did you make an insane chart like I did? Let me know in the comments!
love,
melanie
How Much Money Can a Garden Save You? The Cost and Benefits of a Small Veggie Garden from a Beginning Gardener
It’s not quite the end of the season, my pepper plants and my tomatoes are still producing (!), but I wanted to give a little update about my garden. Remember when I thought I couldn’t grow anything. Remember?! REMEMBER?! Well, I am beyond excited to report that my brown thumb has turned green, ya’ll. And today is your lucky day because I have a run down of the costs of my garden and, AND the cost if I simply went out and purchased the food. I am on fire.
| Price of Seeds | Cost at CSA* or Harris Teeter | Amount Produced | Price if purchased |
| Heirloom Tomatoes ($1.79) (unavailable at Home Depot, link to similar product) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 46 | $68.77 |
| Squash ($1.35) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 0 | $0.00 |
| Zucchini ($1.19) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 16 | $23.92 |
| Bell Peppers ($1.59) | $1.99 (for 2)* | 86 | $85.57 |
| Banana Peppers ($1.59) | $0.43 | 97 | $41.71 |
| Onions ($1.59) | $1.27 | 2 | $2.54 |
| Pumpkins ($1.43) | $6.99 | 3 | $20.97 |
| Cucumbers ($1.35) | $0.79 | 21 | $16.59 |
| Sunflowers ($1.35) | $2.29 | 7 (about 2 cups) | $2.29 |
| Brussels Sprouts ($1.59) | $3.49 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Supplies | |||
| Potting Soil (used sparingly to start seeds, previously purchased) $0.00 | |||
| Gloves and a trowel (given as birthday gift) $0.00 | |||
| Plow (borrowed) $0.00 | |||
| Fencing to keep out critters ($34.97) | |||
| Garden Safe Insect Killer ($5.79) | |||
| Garden Safe Fungicide ($5.47) | |||
| Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Fruits and Vegetables Granules ($12.47) | |||
| A cucumber plant when my other cucumber plants died (gifted from my FIL) $0.00 | |||
| Tax | |||
| $5.14 | |||
| Total Spent | Total Produced (plus tax) | Total Savings | |
| $78.56 | $280.73 | $202.17 |
Additional Notes:
Garden Start Up Costs
I kept my start up costs very low. I didn’t create raised beds and my garden was by no means
“pretty.” I can’t keep up with Martha here. This isn’t rural New England!
Quite a few people around the blogosphere make a big deal about the start up costs of gardens. There’s very low start up costs if you keep it low. And yes, there is no guarantee that anything will sprout (just look at my squash!), but if you are successful, growing a garden can be a fun way to save on grocery costs.
Store Pricing
I used my CSA’s veggie pricing when available because I think it more accurately reflects the pricing of local produce. When not available, I used the pricing of a local grocer, Harris Teeter. (Yes, I know veggies might be cheaper somewhere else, this is just a good estimate, ya’ll!)
Novice Gardener
I think it’s also important to note that I am totally a beginning gardener. This is my first time keeping anything alive– including houseplants! I know there will be bad years and good years, but I believe with experience my vegetable gains will increase, thus increasing my savings.
The time factor
Yes, growing a garden (even a small one, like mine) takes time. Most weekends I was out there pulling weeds. I watered the plants almost every day (unless it rained). P.S. We have well water, so there was no cost for the water. But growing something, ANYTHING, keeping it alive, then eating something I grew with my own two hands has been one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. EVER! And that includes getting my Master’s degree.
Have you ever planted a garden? If so, were you successful? Do you think it saved you money? Did you make an insane chart like I did? Let me know in the comments!
love,
melanie
Refrigerator Pickles and Banana Peppers
For someone who has a black thumb, I sure can grow banana peppers. I have them coming out of my ears, as they say. In fact, I had so many I couldn’t eat them fast enough. And although I had a bumper crop, it still wasn’t enough to make the effort and learn how to properly can. I also had a couple of large cucumbers that were looking less than fresh. So refrigerator canning seemed like the perfect way to eat up those veggies! Here’s the how to:
Ingredients
- 3 cups of white vinegar
- 6 or so banana peppers
- 2 cucumbers
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 2 tbsp of minced, peeled garlic
- 6 cloves
- 2 jars with lids
Wash veggies thoroughly. Slice. I used a pair of scissors to cut my banana peppers and that made it super easy. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. Once brine has finished simmering, let cool. Ladle brine into jars, covering the cucumbers and peppers. Add the cloves. Brine for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Keep for up to a month.
How easy was that?! Have you ever made refrigerator pickles? Talk to me about it in the comments!
love,
melanie
Garden Update!
Up until recently I was under the impression that since I couldn’t keep a house plant alive, I couldn’t grow a garden. But I’ve been proving myself wrong and this is the only time I’ve been happy to be wrong.
I started peppers, tomatoes, onions and brussel sprouts from seeds. I also planted sunflowers, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers straight into the dirt. About half of my plants sprouted! I don’t want to jinx it, but I consider that a success. This is my first time really growing anything, after all. The only thing that didn’t work from my seeds was the cucumbers. My sweet father-in-law felt bad for me so this past weekend he bought me a couple of cucumber plants to start.
Only one squash plant sprouted. I still consider that a success. But my sunflowers are really the star of my garden. They are looking beau-ti-ful. All but one of the sunflowers sprouted. And my tomatoes are growing so quickly. I love checking on them each morning. It seems like they grow inches overnight!
I didn’t spend much money on this garden, but I am hopeful that it will produce and I’ll make my money back. Even if I don’t see a cornucopia of fresh veggies, I think the learning experience has been worth it. I’ll do a full cost breakdown at the end of the season and we’ll see if I’m in the red or the green (pun intended).
Did you plant a garden this year? How does your garden grow?! 🙂 Let me know in the comments!
love,
melanie