Easiest Home Grown Groceries for Storage

 Recent price increases at the grocery store have many people contemplating growing their own food to off set costs. Here in zone 6b, I can reliably have fresh food in the garden from June till, well, about now. However, if you want to grow food for winter, then you're looking at food preservation. Normally, this brings to mind either a large freezer or shelves of home canned food. However, there are several kinds of food you can store for months without a freezer or a canner or even a dehydrator. So if you want to start preserving your own food next year, here is the best place to start. 

Trail of Tears Black Beans

First: The Allium Family

Alliums are all kinds of onions: green onions, bunching onions, leeks, garlic, shallots etc. I've had great success with storing onions and garlic by just curing them (brushing the dirt off of them and hanging them to dry for a few weeks out of the sun) and keeping them in the basement. So easy. This year I learned that leeks can be harvested in the fall, sliced at about a quarter inch thick and then air dried. Again, so easy. Now I have lots of onions in storage. 

Second: Dried Beans

Admittedly, this is our first year growing dried beans but we are hooked. My husband grew Trail Of Tears black beans and really enjoyed the experience as well as gathering a considerable harvest. Shelling the beans takes time but you can always do it while watching tv and then they store in the basement for months. It's so simple. 

Third: Winter Squash

Pie pumpkins of all kinds, as well as any kind of winter squash (butternut, acorn, turks turban, etc...) just need to be cured out in the sun for a few weeks before placing them in storage. So yummy! Many will keep for months in the basement. 

Fourth: Herbs

So admittedly, this one isn't as impressive but many herbs such as thyme, oregano, dill and chamomile will air dry on their own and add flavor to your food all winter. 

Fifth: Potatoes

Pumpkins store well. 

So, I've not grown a lot of potatoes as an adult due to lack of space although I have plans for next year. However, growing up, we would save a large bin of potatoes in the basement for months enjoying them most of the winter. 

The most important thing with all of these vegetables is to keep them in  a dark cool place with NO WATER. Water will cause molding quickly so dryness is key. That's it really. You can absolutely do this yourself. 

Do you grow food for storage? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

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!

 

Fall Gardening in Spring

 Fall here in York County, PA is glorious. Our average first frost date isn't until Halloween and there is no reason September and October can't be just as beautiful and bountiful in the garden as July and

I didn't even mention Mums. They're great too. 

August. What am I posting about this in May? Because there are many plants that hit their peek in the fall that need to be planted now. Having a great fall garden requires some planning. But you can do this! Here is what you should be planting now to have an amazing fall garden. 

Vegetables

Some of the most quintessential vegetables of fall are pumpkins. However, they take a long time to grow. You can start them from seeds readily but they need to be started soon. If you wait till August, it will be much too late. This includes all pumpkins, gourds and winter squash such as butternut or acorn. They all require full sun and rich soil. 

A few other vegetables like Brussel sprouts and parsnips are the same way. Plant now to harvest in fall. I'm also experimenting with starting leeks from seeds now to harvest in the fall. I'll let you know how that goes. 

Maple trees and pumpkins just scream fall. 

Annual Flowers

Sunflowers, zinnias, strawflowers, and marigolds are all easy to start from seed and can look fabulous all fall. (Last year I was picking fresh straw flowers until Thanksgiving) But you need to plant them now. Again, they all need full sun. A word on sunflowers; some varieties bloom and finish in summer so if you want a fall show be sure to select a variety for fall. 

Perennial Flowers

Investing in some key perennials to show off in fall is a great idea. However, to get a good bloom this year, you need to select and plant them out now. Any member of the Aster Family is great for fall. I also enjoy my pink sedum flowers and Trycirtus. Gallardia is another popular fall flower. Ornamental grasses can also look great in the fall. 

Trees and Shrubs

Some seeds I've started near the spiggot. 

First, growing apples and pears brings a fantastic fall harvest of classic fall fruits. I recommend growing both. 

Second, there are so many plants that just look amazing in fall from large sugar maples, to wild grape vines, to the Virginia Sweet Spire I just planted out. Even blueberry bushes get great fall color. 

The best part is, that if you plan things out well, I find fall gardening to be far more relaxing. Fewer hours of sunlight mean plants slow down and it's easier to find time to sit with a hot cup of coffee and just take it in. 

Another tip: if you have limited space in your vegetable garden, you might struggle to find room for fall veggies right now. I like to start seeds in containers to plant out later when spring veggies are done and ready to pull out. Just keep the containers near a water source so they're easy to keep watered. 

What are some of your favorite fall plants? Are you planning anything special this year? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

Growing Squash Successfully

 It's currently late August as I write this so a lot of this information should be filed under "things to try next year". However, I've been trying out several new things with squash this year and I want to share while it's still fresh. Squash are just so delicious I can't imagine not growing them. So here are a few basics and some tricks and tips to help you enjoy your squash. 

First off, there are basically two kinds of squash: summer and winter. Summer squash grows very quickly and has a thin skin like zucchini, pattapan, and yellow squash. Winter squash grows slowly and has a  thick skin like butternut and acorn squash. The growing tips I give you will be true for both unless I specify otherwise. 

If you've never grown squash before, I recommend buying seedlings from a near by garden center. They can be planted out as soon as all danger from frost has passed. No squash plant will tolerate frost. Squash need at LEAST 6 hours of sun a day and regular watering. Giving your squash plants great growing conditions will create stronger plants that can fight of pests and diseases much more effectively. It will also mean more and better quality fruit. 

One of the biggest problems I've had with squash are squash vine borers. A little moth lays an egg at the base of the squash vine and it hatches. The little grub eats into the vine and pigs out till the vine dies. If you're not paying attention the plant looks great until one morning when it has totally wilted. At that point, its too late. Last year I lost every single squash vine I had (including pumpkins!) to this pest. So, this year I tried a few different things. I wrapped aluminum foil around the base of the vines so the grubs couldn't bore into the vines. I periodically sprinkled diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant to repel the grubs. I also kept an eye out for the holes near the bottom of the plant and poked a wire up into the plant to kill any grub inside. These steps worked wonders. I only lost one plant to grubs this year. Yahoo!

Another big problem is fungus, like powdery mildew. Here in central PA, it's humid enough that fungus is just inevitable but I try to fight it off as long as I can. Some great ways to do that include: 1) When watering squash, don't get the leaves wet, just the ground. water creates a moist environment where mold and fungus thrive. 2)Selectively trimming out leaves as they yellow to keep it clean and allow more air circulation. 3) Look for mildew resistant varieties at the garden center. and 4)Use an organic anti fungal spray as needed. I use Green Cure. No spray can get rid of fungus already there but it can help prevent the spread of it. 

When growing summer squash, I learned this year that you can plant it much later than I thought and still get  a great harvest. I planted zucchini seeds on June 30 and by August 10th I was harvesting fruit. Also, because it was planted later, it never got hit with quash vine borers and it still doesn't have mold on it. I haven't treated it with anything. This also helps with succession planting and you can wait till your spring crops are done and then plant summer squash. Just remember that winter squash takes a lot longer to grow so you can't wait to plant that. 

Whew! It's been a busy year for squash but I just love it. Do you have any tips for growing squash? Feel free to post in the comments below!

Healthy Zucchini Plants

Powdery Mildew on Zunnias