6 Tips to Get You Gardening

This time of year I get really excited about spring coming, and although my to do list doubles daily--it's still an exciting time of year. One of my favorite things is gardening! Here's a quick run down of how to prepare for your soon-to-be garden! 

#1 Plan out your garden- I'm a lister, (and after 3 kids it's the only way I can remember anything anyway) so it's a good thing I like to do it. Take some time to plan out your garden on paper. This will save you time and money when you get ready to set out your plants. Make a list of what you would like to grow, and determine how much room you have to work with. Configure your row spacing, length, and plant spacing. Your rows should be far enough apart so when the plants grow larger, you can still till between the rows if you use a tiller.  I found this chart on Gardening Know How for a guide on plant spacing. Also consider companion planting and crop rotation.  By planning out what you want to plant you can decide how much seed to order, how many plants to buy, and if it's more effective to start your own plants or just buy them ready to set out!

#2 Order your seed- This is my favorite part! I sometimes have trouble picking because I want them all! If you do proper planing though it will make it so much easier to only buy what you need. I order my seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SESE for short). SESE has a good selection of heat and drought-tolerant plants that we need in our area. Also, Baker Creek has a BEAUTIFUL catalog! And Tomato Growers has a good selection of hybrids if you prefer those varieties. I order from them all! (I have a seed addiction, admitting it is the first step right?)

next years fertilizer

#3 Prepare your soil- While your waiting on the seed to arrive you can prepare your soil. The best thing you can do is take some soil samples which we did through our local extension office. It's not hard and it only cost $7 per sample for us. It takes a few weeks to get your results back, but you will get a detailed list of what you need to apply to your soil. The general rule is to apply your lime in the fall, because it takes time to react with the soil. It's a more complex process than I can get into here but if your soil has a balanced pH then it will absorb the fertilizer better. Don't worry though: you can still apply your lime! It might just take time before you see the results. I don't use a lot of commercial fertilizers in my garden because we have an awesome supply of natural fertilizers here. Just be sure when using compost you've given it plenty of time to cycle so it doesn't burn up your plants.


#4 Start some seeds- Different areas will need to start seeds at different times. Find out when the average last frost date in your zone is by using this usda zone finder. Most seed packs will tell you when to start your seed, and some will tell you to start weeks before the last frost date. Check out my post on Starting Seed  for more in-depth details about successfully starting seeds.

#5 Weed Control- This is always the biggest failure for me. I let weeds overtake my garden before I get to enjoy the first tomato! This year I'm going to fight those weeds with a better mulching system. I plan on using wheat straw to mulch around all my plants--and do not use just any hay or you will deposit seeds from the hay for next years garden! (personal experience!!) I'm also experimenting with flame weeding and sterilizing seed beds with plastic. If you would like, you can treat your dirt with products like Premerge. I haven't used these products but it sure is tempting sometimes. Whatever you do, if you can take some time now to combat weeds you will be thankful later!

#6 Set out your plants- Now the fun part! Put some plants out! This time of year I'm already getting cooler crops out. I like to direct sow my root crops--like carrots, beets, radishes, ect. Lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage are plants that I generally start and then transplant. Check out this article and date calculator for when to plant. I've already started my peppers and tomatoes in the greenhouse, too!

Hope you enjoy these 6 quick tips on getting your garden going this spring! 

Whats for dinner?

Fold laundry, pick up the house, tackle 2nd grade, head outside to do chores, and the next you know its 8 o'clock and everyone is screaming 'what's for dinner?'. Anyone else have this issue? It seems to be a fairly common issue with busy working moms and here, we work with the daylight so its dark before we even stop to think about eating and then all our meat is generally frozen. I tried getting several things out of the freezer and keeping them in the fridge, and then we end up not eating them because who really wants to start cooking dinner at 8:30? I  end up throwing away half of it because I can't remember how long it has been there! I could eat a bag of popcorn every night and be satisfied, although eventually I'm sure it would catch up with me. And then there is the case that all to often we find ourselves eating out which isn't healthy and cost a fortune. All the while, we are working in our garden, canning, or working with our farm fresh meat animals so that we can be healthier??  So explain to me how that works?

I have found when I take the time to plan out a menu and buy groceries we do a whole lot better, I also do pretty good spending a whole day cooking and freezing several meals, as long as I remember to get them out of the freezer in time! Until I run out of menu items and someone complains about eating the same thing every week. My kids love hamburger helper style meals, and they are quick and easy, my six years old loves to cook them, but yet again this isn't on the healthy side, surely its better than eating out though?!

This fancy new printer I got comes with some cool auto print things and with a push of a button or two it prints out a blank calendar! So AJ say, "mom, this is our menu planner, right?". Hmm, okay sure lets try it! Here is where I started:

Goals:

Balance

Nutrition

Convenience

Affordability

Its not really as easy as just throwing some meals on paper. If you want to be successful you need to half way know your schedule. I know there are some days we will be out all day and I don't want to come in an cook and clean up a huge meal. We cook for the kids at church on Wednesday night, so I don't need a meal then. Saturdays, we spend the day generally working on the farm, so I want something quick and easy. Okay you get the point.

*disclaimer* no judging about what we eat! I'm not a health coach, a dietician, or anyone who is qualified to put meals together for others. Eating these foods could cause weight gain, illness, fullness, happy husbands and children, or even death. I am not responsible.

Since we got that out of the way here is where you can get a downloadable copy of the September Menu. The grocery list include all your main items, but double check cause I can't be responsible if I forgot something and you have to go back to the store... happens to me ALL the time. I didn't include staple kitchen items, like butter, spices, and such. I split it into two list because I like my produce fresh, most people get paid twice a month, and that's about how many times I want to go grocery shopping with three kids in a month. The first list is for the 1st-16th and the second list starts for the 17th and continues til the end of the month.

This seemed like a good place for me to start and share my experiences, cost, failures, and insight as I go. I categorized a few things to help myself out. I will also try to get some links together for some of these meals! So here is to my first MEAL MONDAY! Even though I didn't finish it til Tuesday morning!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalms 34:8