My End of Summer Update

 One of the hard parts of writing a gardening blog is that the time of year I have the most to write about and people are the most interested in reading it, is the time I am most busy and have a hard time getting to it. Sigh. It can't be helped. Here, in picture form, are some things I'm working on right now. Hopefully, it will give you some ideas of your own. \

My strawberry yields have been going down hill the last few years so I completely re worked the bed, adding a lot of compost. The plants should have a few months to adjust before the frost. 

Zucchino Rapicante Squash. A big success this year. Tastes just like Zucchini but with now squash vine borer. I'm switching over completely next year. 

Like my strawberries, my raspberries are in great need of an overhaul. However, the best time of year to move them around is March so I'm waiting. Actually, right now I'm picking and eating. 

A failed experiment. I tried growing buckwheat as a cover crop around my zucchini to fool the bugs but it didn't work. My squash is still alive because I have other tricks to keep borers away. 

My first time growing leeks from seed. 

Brian had great success with his black beans this year. 



SO what have you been up to in your garden? Feel free to write about it below!

 

Why You Need to Grow Your Own Raspberries

If you have any yard at all, even a really small one, then I want to convince you to start growing raspberries. At our last house, I stuck a few raspberry roots in clay soil in a narrow section of lawn behind our shed. They got full sun until about 1pm when the shed put them in full shade. Despite this, they absolutely thrived. In one little patch I had enough delicious raspberries for fresh eating, pancakes, muffins and smoothies and I froze a gallons worth for future cooking. Why should you grow raspberries?

First, and most obviously, they are delicious. Seriously, if you've never had fresh raspberries from the garden, then you're missing out. They are SO GOOD.

Second, raspberries are quite expensive at the store or farmers market. The national average for a pint of fresh raspberries right now is $4.78. We can't ever afford them unless we grow them. If you want to garden for financial purposes, then growing raspberries is a good idea.

Third, raspberries are so easy. I planted the roots in the ground and spent maybe a grand total of 5 minutes keeping the weeds down the whole year. In the winter, I cut down the canes to about 12 inches. That's it. That is all I did. That and pick a bunch of delicious berries.

Have I convinced you yet? As I said, raspberries tend to be sold as roots. You can order them from any number of catalog nurseries (mine came from Gurneys) or from your local garden center. Here in PA, you'll probably plant them some time in March or April. I grew "Heritage" raspberries at the old house and plan on planting them here at the new place as well. As resilient as they are, raspberries will need some sunlight and a well drained location.

One word of caution, bramble roots (raspberries and such) can spread vigorously. Mowing keeps them in check but don't plant them along a fence unless your neighbors want raspberries too. I made the mistake of putting strawberries in next to the raspberries and had to pull a lot of raspberry shoots out of the strawberry bed. Our new location will be along the back of the shed away from other yards and gardens.

You can do this! For less than $20 you can have tons of delicious fresh berries in your yard. Have you grown raspberries before? Feel free to share in the comments below.

The 3 Best Ways to Save Money Gardening

So, lots of people get into gardening to save money on groceries only to find out you can spend LOADS more money growing your own food. Now, there are lots of great reasons to get into gardening besides saving money: exercise, fresh air, therapy, quality time with family, organic fresh food, etc. However, most of us need to pay attention to our budget. So, if you're thinking about getting into gardening, here are the three things you should start with. I'll give you an over view here and then go more in depth in future posts.

First: Loose leaf lettuce. Organic lettuce can easily cost $9 a pound at the store. You can grow your own loose leaf lettuce from seeds. I've grown all the lettuce we needed for six months of the year from a $3 seed packet. Here in central PA, you can direct sow lettuce seeds into soil at St Patrick's Day and enjoy it into late June when it will get too hot. Then, start planting again in August and enjoy your lettuce till almost Thanksgiving. Lettuce likes cool weather. Sow more seeds every two weeks to enjoy a continual harvest.

I also love it because there is much less waste. Haven't we all thrown out old lettuce? If you grow head lettuce (like iceberg or romaine) then you harvest the head once and you're done. With loose leaf lettuce you can just go out and clip what you need for the next day or two and none is wasted. Just don't harvest more than 50% of the leaves off of any particular plant at one time.

Image is of part of the herb garden at Mt. Vernon. George Washington knew what he was doing. 

Second: Fresh Herbs. Cooking with fresh herbs is so delicious but having to buy them at the store can really add up. Start by developing your perennial herb garden. Perennial means they will come back every year. In Pennsylvania, you definitely need to include Chives, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage. Plant them in a hot sunny, well drained area and enjoy for years to come. After that, try growing herbs from seed like Basil, Dill and Parsley. Your cooking will be fabulous!

Third: Raspberries. All berries are really delicious, really good for you, and really expensive. Even pick your own berries in season are pricey. What to do? Grow your own. Now, growing any berries will save you money but in my experience raspberries are the easiest. I just spent $12 for three bare root plants and I will harvest tons of berries for many years to come. This also goes for black berries or any other kind of "bramble". I've had great success with "Heritage" raspberries.

How about you? How have you saved money on groceries by gardening? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.