Spring is in the air, which means it is time to roll up our sleeves and get dirty in the garden. From the time I was little, everyone I knew had a garden–my grandma, my grandpa, my mom, my aunts, my cousins, my neighbors. It seemed that gardening was just a way of life. It is funny how gardening has become a lost art of sorts. I am hoping that our focus this month on gardening will help inspire you to begin to plant a garden, a fruit tree, or any type of food on your own property. Even the smallest effort can bring big rewards.
I know gardens can be intimidating. Although I have had a garden nearly every year I have been married it doesn’t mean I am an expert. In fact, I am the complete opposite. I really am an amateur, I just love the feeling of being self reliant and growing food in my own backyard. I promise, if I can have a garden and (some how?) keep it alive, so can you!
So, why do I plant a garden? Well, for many reasons. The main one is I can’t get enough fresh produce and produce from the grocery store is usually where half of my monthly budget is spent. Produce prices have sky rocketed this past year and I can hardly bare to spend the $1.78 for a colored bell pepper..ugh! The fact I can grow food for practically free is a HUGE bonus when you are trying to cut back on the amount you spend on food each month. Not to mention, the food you grow in your garden can easily be turned into food you can store on your shelf for an emergency (bottled salsa, canned peaches/pears, bottled apple pie filling, jalapeno jelly, homemade jams, pickle relish, salsa verde, and much more).
Another reason I feel gardening is so important is it teaches our families to work. Just ask my kids, I am sure they love it–hehe!
There are times I wish I lived on a real, honest to goodness farm. There is nothing that drives me more crazy than seeing my kids be lazy. I grew up in a home where we kept busy, we worked hard, and even though we had four girls in our family we were expected to mow and edge the lawn, pull weeds, help in the garden, wash the cars, etc. We didn’t get paid for these jobs, it was just something we did. Sitting and watching t.v. for hours was never an option. Whether this was the right way to be raised, I don’t know. But..I do know I want to teach my children the value of hard work. Having a garden is a fantastic way to teach your children that if they work hard, they will reap the benefits of their labor. A garden also teaches patience and the basics of science and how plants grow. There are so many benefits to a garden, I think that is what keeps me coming back each year–despite the weeds, the dead plants, and the sunburns.
I am hoping that as I share with you my successes and failures throughout this summer that it will encourage you to plant your own garden. If you don’t have the space to plant a large garden, just plant one or two plants in a pot or in a flower bed. Something will be better than nothing 😉
I am excited to share with you a new method of gardening called square foot gardening. I am sure many of you have already heard, or are using, this method–it seems to be the trend in gardening. For 8 years we have tried to prep our soil, till the ground and for some reason our dirt still ends up being as hard as a rock, dry and full of weeds. My children and I have spent most of our summers up in the garden weeding until we have blisters on our hands. If this type of garden sounds familiar to you, a square foot or raised garden bed might be the answer for you.
There are many benefits to square foot gardening, all of which I have found to be absolutely true now that we have put in our own.
*You can grow 100% of your harvest in 20% of the space.
*No more digging, tilling or adding new dirt each spring. The soil never needs to be replaced.
*No weeds–I know this is a big statement, but everyone I have talked to, and in my own garden I have not seen ONE weed (fabulous!!)
*Attractive-the raised beds look appealing and make your garden look neat and organized.
*No more heavy equiptment, rototillers, soil testing or digging down your garden.
*Less expensive in the long run because you are not replacing soil every year.
*Easy accessibility, ease of walking around, kneeling, working and harvesting. Everything is within arms reach.
*Excellent drainage and moisture retention.
Whether you choose this method for your garden or not, the important thing is that you find a system that works and you stick with it. For our family, this method has been heaven sent and I think will save us much turmoil throughout the coming months (I will keep you updated).
If you are debating whether or not to do a square foot garden in your yard, or if you just want to know what to plant when, I have the BEST gardening website for you! Emily is the author of the website My Square Foot Garden and she has done an amazing job at helping beginners understand how to plant a successful garden. Her website is filled with helpful tips, photographs, charts, and other information to help you when planting your garden. Anything you want to know about square foot gardening can be found on her website–it is amazing!
Throughout the next few months I will be sharing with you what I chose to plant, how we built our garden beds, what works and what doesn’t work, and best of all…recipes that can be made from items you grow in your garden. I have amazing recipes lined up that I can’t wait to share with you.
This month we are excited to be giving away 2 e-books from Emily’s website My Square Foot Garden that are packed full of helpful information that will make growing your garden easy & fun! Her e-books are usually $19.98 and are an amazing resource to keep on hand for your gardening needs. We will have two winners, here is the low-down:
1st Place Winner: Both E-books from My Square Foot Garden (Gardening for Beginners & Plant by Color) & $50 to Home Depot or Lowe’s to get your garden started.
2nd Place Winner: Both E-books from My Square Foot Garden (Gardening for Beginners & Plant by Color) & a set of mini food storage cookbooks (one book is all about vegetables, another about sprouting and one book filled with recipes you can make without a wheat grinder).
(Winner will be drawn randomly and the contest will close July 8th at midnight)
Good luck to you and check back often for gardening updates and recipes.
I am trying to garden and would love to read Emily's books. I follow her blog. I would really love a gift card too!
I found out what kind of fertilizer I need to use on my tomatoes, and beans, and how to take care of them. I am liking the square foot gardening idea, might have to try that next year!
just bought a house and am excited to have a great resource for my garden needs. Thanks for passing her web sight on. I have already learned how to start my square foot garden.
Oooh, good site to bookmark, which I did. I learned that you shouldn't use steer manure because it has too much salt–which is what my husband ALWAYS tells me to use and it will be "just fine". =)
I have little girls and would love to teach them gardening. Myself as well! This is all new to me – any help I can get I NEED! =) Thanks for the great resource! I'm excited to try a square foot garden!
I used the square foot method when I first started gardening in the late 80s. As the bed timbers rotted away and the deer and rabbits ate my produce I transitioned to using split 50 gallon drums surrounded by wire (great tomato cages!). Now I have a good electric fence am using wide rows using the square foot spacing. This fall I will be building 4' wide beds again. It really is a good method!
I want to start gardening and want raised beds over a garden plot in the middle of my yard. I loved the directions on where to put it, how to go about building it, dirt vs. compost–I LOVE how all-encompassing and detailed she gets for directions. 🙂 No fail for me to build mine!
I am very interested in the companion planting. We are finally getting out of a rental this fall and so I am very excited to have a large garden again next summer!
I have followed her site for a while and look forward to her green light to plant each thing. I grew up on a huge 20 acre garden and we all (cousins,aunts,uncles,grandparents) had assignments each week or we would all be there for planting and harvesting things like potatoes. I have had a garden of my own since I moved out and I'm 45. Always learning something. Nowhere near an expert. Lorie
Wow, I always assumed I couldn't garden because I didn't have enough room in my yard. But now I can see that's not true and am inspired to give it a shot. I'd love to win these books to help me get started!
I like how she lays out the different methods for certain steps and then gives pro/cons to each…
The raised boxes give me an idea too….
I started gardening last year in a raised bed in the desert, but have since moved. So the growing season has changed on me.
My only success in my garden last year was zucchini because my children (4 and 2 at the time) decided they needed to help in the garden. I grew 2 foot long ones. I ended up gifting many of them out to friends.
I didn't know that carrots have a hard time being transplanted. I also found out that it is good not to put competing plants next to each other. I would never have thought about that.
I was just on her site yesterday! It's great! I went back today and read about buying vs. building your own SFG. I'm so thankful for the cost comparison she did. Very helpful. I also learned a lot about tomatoes that I didn't know!
Gosh, what didn't I learn. One thing was that that tomatoes come in three different types. Determinate, Semi-determinate, and Indeterminate. As well as some valuable information about how to plant and so on. Great stuff!
I found a recipe for thai green curry that looks great! I'm bookmarking it for later.
I learned that beans don't transplant well. I also learned that there are more vegetables that need to be started early than I realized and there are many more types of tomato plants than I knew about. I think I'll have to check her site often as we start our garden.
My husband and I recently purchased our own home and we finally have a place to grow a garden! We have been so excited but have had such a long winter and cold spring that we haven't started yet. We hope to soon. And we are super excited to have some self-reliance and grow our own produce (I agree with you-produce is getting so expensive!).
We started a square foot garden last year and everything grew happy and fine except for the beets which did nothing. (I love beets and almost cried.) But I am trying again because of how many peas and tomatoes I could fit in such a small space. I like how Emily starts her veggies in BIG pots in the basement. I've always used little jiffy pots and then my veggies get too big before I can plant them.
We bought a house with a huge yard and put in a really big garden spot. I don't know if a square foot garden would work in that much space (it's like 800 square feet) but I did learn a lot about fertilizer that should help our tomatoes out this year. I plan on learning some more once my kiddos go to bed.
I just found your site recently thanks to a google search for homemade italian dressing. Love all your recipes and ideas. As for the linked site — I found standing planter ideas! I've been looking for a taller planter (that the rabbits cannot climb!) for an herb garden outside my kitchen door. Thanks for the great resources.
I didn't realize that tomatoes needed a night temp of 55F to set fruit. We just built a greenhouse this spring in an attempt to extend our growing season a bit and experiment with what will grow duriing the winter. Glad we put a little heater in there. I'm always on the lookout for good gardening information. Thanks for sharing the website!
We have never fertalized our square foot garden. Now maybe I know why some things have been tiny!
Who would have known that my problem with my beans was the fact I wanted to start them in the house and then transplant them. Who knew!!
I'm excited to get going on my own garden but we will be moving in the next couple of weeks. We'll see if we can plant at the new house…at least get the areas ready for next summer. 🙂
Wow! What didn't I learn from Emily's web site? She has info on soil, water, fertilizer, supports, companion plants and planting zones. Even talks about individual vegetables.
I found also there are three different kinds of tomatoes, and would have never thought to give them Epsom salts. Her site is packed full of info with pictures from beginning to end.
We love the flavor of home grown vegies and hope to expand our garden. With this new info we will be utilizing the space more efficiently. 🙂
I learned a lot about the importance of your soil and the many different types of mixes/compost/fertilizer etc. that you can choose from. It's great to know what type of fertilizer is best for different plants (especially my tomatoes). I would love to try a square foot garden next year. The gift card would be nice, too!
I have NEVER gardened in my life but we just bought a new home and we have to put in a yard. This landscape artist told me where to put a garden so that will grow best. I plan on doing the grow box garden. Now all I need to do is figure out how to start! I am glad for all the information on Deals to Meals and for the Sqaure foot garden website. I like how it tells you the best time to plant different things- like tomatoes-"Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the frost date, or purchase transplants." That is one thing I plan on planting, it's good to know how to best start them!
Mandatory Entry: i learned from mysquarefootgarden that there are organic ways of pest control such as:
Spider Mite Fighter
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 quarts water
I wish more larger farms would use these methods instead as more and more people demand organic!!
Thanks for the opportunity!
Anashct [at] yahoo [dot] com
I learned about the best types of soil!
tarapwin at gmail dot com
I don't have a success story of gardening that is why I need the how to books.
bluebird1018 at gmail dot com
I learned how to take care of my parsley. The tip on cutting was especially helpful. Thanks!
Sandym87 at yahoo.com
I love the soil tips! Amazing. I get the planting tips for my area. Love it!
I am such a beginner…I never realized just how important the soil in the garden is. We are just now wanting to start a garden. We haven't had one yet but have a house now and are excited to get started. Thanks for the tips Emily! I hope I win!
I love the weekly updates. It's been great to help me know when I should get my plants outside. My lettuce is doing great–first time trying that. I've got little tomatoes on some of the plants and that makes us super happy. My family can't get enough of garden tomatoes…whether they are grape, whoppers, or pear tomatoes. Yum!! Oh and are peas are flowering so we're excited for that too. yay for gardening. And yay for Emily's site.
I started the square foot method last year and loved it. I still have plenty to learn in order to maximize my yeild and plan out my planting better for year round crops. Thanks for the information and the tools to continue my learning.
Like the horizontal trellis using PVC pipes she used for her tomatoes. I agree that half inch PVC is too small and would no less the 3/4 inch, even better would be 1 inch PVC as tomatoes can get very heavy when in full production.
I am so excited to start a garden and this square foot garden system seems perfect. I love the specific information she has on growing all the different veggies. Very informative!
What a great resource! I think I may be able to find space in my small yard to have a garden. I love how she tells you WHEN to plant, since that's pretty tricky when we get snow and cold all spring long here in UT.
Everytime I visit Emily's site I am just amazed and delighted with the info I can find there.
I am totally envious of people who have gardens. I am handicapped and until today, I felt incapable of having one ever!
I just saw the new info on her site regarding the raised bed garden from Easy Gardner. I am so jazzed! At last I can have a garden and tend it too. What's even more amazing is that I can afford it on my income. It's so affordable that I can even get 2 or 3 and have all sorts of goodies!
Just love your site. God bless you!
I never thought I could garden in this hot humid place in Texas! Emily's website is great to break it down to my area and when to grow things. I am nervous to start gardening, but excited to see what can happen. Thanks for sharing this website.
I learned that having a garden is a way to develop good self-reliance. 3tiff3@gmail.com
From Emilies website I am learning about compost. I was just mixing the 98 cent bags of manure and my soil!! I was growing but not much!!!! Thanks Emily!!!
As a beginning gardener, I am learning that soil is very important. I appreciated the tips on the Mel's mix and her own mix. Seeing the weeds popping up EVERYWHERE in my garden plot this year has made me desire a square foot garden even more. They are so cute!
I would love to win. I just started a garden for the first time this year. I wanted to try square foot gardening, but didn't know the in's and out's, so I've got plants in tubs.
What I like about the site, was not only what options are available, but how to irrigated, and plant…and lists of items need plus the cost, and where to buy.
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
libneas[at]aol[dot]com
I love all of her suggested benefits to gardening. I didn't think of it as a family activity, but I love that just having and tending a garden can teach children so much about self-reliance, patience, and hard work among other things.
I have been sqft gardening for 3 years now. The best thing that I have learned is not to crowd your plants. They need plenty of room to grow!
I love Emily's website and not because we share the same name 🙂 I have learned a lot from her website, but something that surprised me is that moving only 1 hour north and I'm in a different growing zone. I never would have realized that on my own. Anyway, love your blog and hope I win!
We are moving soon, and this would be fantastic to help me get started on my garden. I visited Emily's website and learned that you can use seaweed as fertilizer/compost. Too bad there isn't much in Utah!
Life is so busy and packed with housework, chasing children to activities and doing your church calling, that it is a joy to garden! I struggle, because I live in a very cold climate. I only have about two full months without a frost! I am had much success with flower gardening. We moved into a new home about 5 years ago, and each year, we'd add a few more perennials or trees until we at least have landscape now. The plans are small and spread far out, but we feel happy they're growing, finally. We plant our vegetable garden along our south facing wall of our two story home, because it gets the most sun. We are struggling with it this summer, because it's been so cold and rainy here, so I needed the movtiation from Emily's website! We have successsfully planted tomatoes, carrots, onions, peas and peppers in past years.
Something I learned from Emily's blog is what the terms determinate, indeterminate and semi-determinate (tomatoes) mean. Finally the mystery is solved! I see those terms in every tomato seed or plant description. It's one of those things I've been meaning to look up and just never have, so I was happy to stumble upon it in her blog today.
Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
Loved the garden planning on a spreadsheet…I will have to try that!
Great info about peppers. I learned a lot, thanks! I've bookmarked her site and will be reading more. I'd love to read her books too!
I have watched her website for over a year now. Love it. Great resource for gardening. Would love to get her books and the gift card. Thanks, Tawna.
I live in a condo, with no space outside for a garden. I am just starting to study about square foot gardening, so thank you for introducing me to her website! I really like the post about soils, as I am clueless on what to use! Thanks again.
I didn't know that you should not use steer manure…I thought fertilizer was fertilizer. So interesting. I would love a garden! We have moving around the last 2 years for my husband's job and are FINALLY settling down so we can have our own garden! I need tips though! HELP!
I appreciate the breakdown on different soil/compost and their prices. Our dirt is mostly clay with chunks of cement left from the builders I guess. This is definitely a better solution for gardening.
Love the painted rocks idea!
I can't wait to buy a house so we can't start our garden, and it's definitely gotta be a square foot garden. My Dad is a huge fan and had square foot gardens all growing up.
I can't even begin to tell you what a wonderful resource your blog has been. Would love to try square foot gardening.
I have 8 kids and therefor…a large garden. I had never seen her website but found many great new things to try (i.e. egg shells, fertilizer ratios). Thanks for sharing!
I learned about using egg shells soaked in water as a boost for tomato plants. I am going to try that since that is one of the only things I have planted this year.
I learned new methods of fertilizing (organic)
I learned the color for my new area and have signed up for her newsletter.
I love how she went into details about Mel's Mix. I also loved learning about the fertilizer. I could spend HOURS reading her blog!!
THANKS EMILY!
Wow, I'm a little overwhelmed with all the info to have a successful garden. We have wanted a garden for a long time and finally have a place of our own again out in the country. So, I'm hoping to be able to grow some things and be more self reliant and save money on groceries. I'm new at this so I could use all the help I can get 🙂
Wow! Awesome site! I learned that there are raised gardens for those who may not want to bend over and about fertilizer. Now all I need is a fence to keep the deer and antelope out so I can start!!!
I have just recently seen some gardens like these and decided I need to try one in the fall. I learned that you have to keep harvesting spinach for it to keep growing. Didn't know that before. Thanks for the great link to this informative site!
Wow, I'm kind of overwhelmed with all of the great information! I did not know there were so many plants that you needed to harvest to make grow more 🙂
I have been wanting to start an herb garden for awhile now. I learned that the more you use basil and pull the leaves off, the more it grows. Excellent!
I loved the ideas of using eggshell water to feed pepper and tomato plants. Our peppers aren't thriving, so I will try her tip. Thanks for the info!
My broccoli looks so sick compared to Emily’s and I want the no weeds…….must do the raised beds.
Renee
So much good info about fertilizer and everything else!
Wow! I spent an hour reading through all the information on square foot gardens. Less space, no weeds, etc. Who knew I didn't need an huge area to plant a garden. I will have to do a square foot garden next year. Thanks for sharing.
I started my square foot garden three years ago. The first year all of my plants died because I did not have irrigation set up and could not remember to water them enough! The second year I had the water figured out, however everything was growing so well and I did not know when to harvest! I am in my third year now, planted about a month ago due to the weird weather hail storm in June(?!). There is still more for me to learn and I appreciate the website and love the idea to use excel to make a garden plan! Square foot gardens are AWESOME!
This seems like a great idea for apartment living, just put it into square foot pots or something. I thought that the soil mixture was interesting; no weeding sounds great!
I went to Emily's site and learned about pruning and staking Zucchini, very interesting and I think I will try it next year. This is our second year doing a square foot garden and I love it! So much fun and no weeds!
My peppers haven't been doing great and she gave some great organic tips including epsome salts and egg shells that are inexpesive to try!
With my husband being in the military and us always renting, there isn't a lot of gardening space on a concrete patio. Especially with a child who loves her sidewalk chalk space. We are currently house hunting (finally) and the ability to grow our own produce is so exciting to me! Having tried with my family of 'brown thumbs' when I was a kid, it's nice to know the tips for success. Reading Emily's website has been greatly helpful because it's as if she's walking me through each step as I learn what I need to prepare for this rewarding endeavor. All of the different options to maximize gardening space, whether you use the perimeter around your house or have a huge designated area, different soils to use depending on your budget and the problem/solution section have been extremely helpful. Not to mention the A-Z guide for each specific plants and how to not to kill them by accident. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing her website with this aspiring gardener!