goddess of thrift

Thrift and Losing My Tomatoes

No, this is not a metaphor like "losing my marbles", although in my case, it is quite possible that evidence could be found to prove significant marble loss.  The tomatoes I refer to are the plants growing in my garden, and they're not looking good.  In fact, I think they may be dying.

In my twenty-plus years of gardening, I haven't lost a tomato plant.  Yes, I've had my ripe tomatoes stolen by neighborhood boys or marauding squirrels, but I've never had a plant die.  Those in my current garden, which are disturbingly wilted, may change that.  My father thinks they may be affected by the extreme heat, and my husband thinks the roots may be rotting from too much rain.  And, while I really do try to avoid excessive drama in my life, I have to admit that the other day I was upset at the thought of losing my tomatoes.

Gardening is one of my ongoing strategies to minimize my grocery bill, in order to free up money for "things that matter".  The prospect of losing a crop as normally prolific as tomatoes, therefore, could have a significant impact on my spending.  But . . . wait a minute.  Just what do I mean by "significant"?

In a typical season, I freeze several dozen pints of tomatoes for winter cooking.  I also often make homemade tomato salsa, in addition to using numerous fruits in salads and fresh sauces.  My cost in grocery dollars to replace such a loss could easily be well over $100.

This realization was quickly followed by another:  the fact that losing the entire crop would have little or no impact on my family's food supply.  Even at a less-than-average household income (for the U.S.) we have enough surplus in our budget that we can lose a vegetable crop and still lack for nothing.

In a world where almost 50% of the population lives on less than $2.50 U.S./day, and a full 80% lives on less than $10.00 U.S./day (www.globalissues.org), what is of little consequence for me to lose would prove to be a devastating loss to someone who has no other resource to procure food.

So, will I still do everything I can to save my tomato plants?  Of course I will.  Will I be indifferent if those plants still die?  Of course not.  But live or die, I will be thankful that I am blessed with such abundance that regardless of what happens to the plants in my garden, my family and I will not go hungry.  That knowledge increases my desire to keep on doing all the thrifty things I can, to free up dollars to share with someone, somewhere, who doesn't have the money to buy tomatoes.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

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Wash Your Dishes with Insecticide!

Now, before you think I clean my dirty plates and cups with a little shot of Raid, hear me out.  Long before my grandmother had access to "green" and "organic" insecticides, she would deal with pests in the garden by drowning them in dishwater.  The leftover soapy water from hand-washing dishes is great to kill aphids and other garden pests (although it doesn't seem to be effective in repelling cats, unless you are really fast.)  By sloshing it gently on her plants, Grandma dealt with bugs on her flowers, simply utilizing a by-product of housework.  Smart lady!

More tenacious insects, such as Japanese beetles, can be hand-picked and drowned in a jar of dishwater.  I typically wear my rubber cleaning gloves for this task, since I am not particularly fond of handling a large quantity of insects, but the gloves are optional.  Either way, the soap in the water suffocates the insects, whereas plain water might not.

(In case you think drowning insects in soapy water is "cruel", I want you to know that I have forewarned all bugs crossing into my garden by posting small, charming "No Trespassing" signs at insect height around the garden's perimeter.  I cannot, however, take responsibility for any insect's lack of literacy.)

Obviously, the soap film will degrade with rain or watering and will need to be re-applied occasionally.  If you use a large quantity of dish soap, be sure to dilute the soapy solution with enough water to avoid burning your plants.  A small squirt of liquid soap in a dishpan of water should be sufficient.  I typically wash vegetables when they come in from the garden anyway, but you will want to be sure to rinse everything you harvest to avoid a soapy taste on your salad.

Since dishwater, just like any other insect treatment, is indiscriminate, I only apply it when I notice an infestation of insect pests to limit damage to beneficial insects.  That way, while every leaf and flower in my garden may not be perfect, it will still be safe for praying mantises and butterflies.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

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Thrift and the Garden -- Of Wild Spinach and Blackberries . . .

Admittedly, I am no gourmet chef, although I do a reasonable job of cooking for my family.  I do enjoy watching "Gourmet Adventures with Ruth" on Public Television, however, and often encounter recipes there which I can modify with less expensive ingredients.  A recently aired episode about Blackberry Farm in Tennessee really captured my interest, because one of the dishes they served their guests was Sauteed Wild Spinach.

Why, you ask?  (I'm pretty sure I heard that from someone!)  Because I was 90% certain that Wild Spinach was growing wild in my own garden . . . and what could be more exciting than harvesting food I didn't have to plant?  (Okay, maybe in your world there are lots of things more exciting than that, but, "free" is a big deal in my world!)

My only hesitation about harvesting this "wild green" from the garden was that I wanted to make absolutely sure I had positively identified the plant before I ate it.  I wasn't really interested in having my epitaph read:  "Here lies that crazy lady who died eating weeds".  But most of the photos in my wild plant books were inadequate for proper identification.

To the rescue, however, came my friend with his I-Phone.  He went on line, found a photo of wild spinach, held it next to the plant, and Voila!  Positive Identification!  We both then sampled leaves from the plant and agreed that, by golly, they do taste like spinach!

The leaves and stems of Wild Spinach, also called "Lamb's Quarters" or "Goosefoot'", are best when the plants are young -- less than a foot tall -- and can be used any way you would use fresh garden spinach or swiss chard.  Once you make positive identification of the plant, you will probably notice it growing in lots of different places.

Since childhood, I have always loved to pick wild blackberries, and am now thrilled to have them growing on our property.  When they ripen, I gather as many as I can, and the patches I cannot reach leave many berries behind for the birds.

There are obviously many other wild foods which are good to eat, but I have found few as easy to harvest and prepare as the Wild Spinach and Wild Blackberries which add to the abundance of our garden.  As my husband and I frequently say, "Free is the best price of all!"

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and Saving Seed Potatoes

St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, so now it's time in my Zone 6A garden to plant peas and potatoes.  When I see the price of seed potatoes in catalogs and garden centers -- ranging from $3.95/lb. to $10.95/lb. -- yikes!!! -- I have trouble understanding why anyone would purchase seed potatoes after their first year of gardening.

Saving seed potatoes is amazingly easy.  When I harvest potatoes in the fall, I set aside any which would be too small to scrub or peel, typically golf-ball-sized or smaller.  After washing off the soil and letting them dry for a few days outdoors, I simply sort them by variety, place them in brown paper bags, and either put them in my unheated (but never freezing) cellar or one of the vegetable drawers in my refrigerator. 

The following spring, I check the saved potatoes about 2 weeks before planting.  If they haven't already begun to sprout, I place them on a tray near a window and allow the exposure to light to help them sprout.   I then plant the potatoes whole in my garden, in a bed enriched with compost.  Refer to any good gardening book at the library for growing instructions, or check for directions on-line.

Most supermarket potatoes have been treated with an anti-sprouting medium, but organically grown potatoes from the grocery will sprout as easily as those you save, if you get them in the fall and over-winter them as above.  They will probably be cheaper than seed you purchase in the spring, especially if you find some which have been marked down.  Once you experience the flavor of home-grown potatoes, and see how easy they are to grow, you'll want to raise them yourself from now on.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrifty Garden Tip

If your garden's soil is too alkaline for acid-loving plants like rhododendrons or blueberries, lower your soil pH by adding used coffee grounds.  Just apply a 1/2" layer around each plant and scratch them into the soil.  You're not a coffee drinker?  You can obtain a large batch of used coffee grounds free from your local Starbucks -- they save their grounds for gardeners.

Some common garden vegetables which prefer neutral to slightly-acid soil are:  beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peas, peppers, radishes, summer squash and tomatoes.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and Bunny Blitzkrieg

As I water my tender, young broccoli seedlings, which will be ready for the garden in a few weeks, I'm gearing up for war.  Every spring since I started gardening at our current home, I have done battle with the rabbits.  And, every spring, my garden has experienced some form of vegetable casualty.  I have to grudgingly admit that, thus far, the rabbits have won.

The first year it was the bell pepper plants.  I didn't think rabbits even liked pepper plants; perhaps the bunnies in my neighborhood have less-than-discriminating taste.  The following year, I placed hardware-cloth cages around my pepper plants, and instead they ate my broccoli plants.  Last year, I enclosed the broccoli in chicken wire, and they chewed my swiss chard down to the ground, then dined on my sugar snap peas.

I have at times engaged in chemical warfare by sprinkling my garden beds with blood meal, the scent of which supposedly repels rabbits.  I'm pretty sure they've obtained some form of bunny gas masks, or maybe they just hold their breath while eating.  So, this year, I'm pulling out all the stops.

My arsenal of bunny repellents might include the following, supposedly-effective rabbit deterrents:  old music and computer cd's hanging from strings (their reflections are supposed to frighten critters); a mulch of human hair, obtained from a local barbershop; various sprays concocted of soapy water with hot pepper sauce, vinegar, onion and/or garlic added; bars of strong-smelling soap skewered on sticks in the planting area; a scattering of mothballs around the plants; pieces of old garden hose laid on the ground to look like snakes; a double row of onions planted around each bed; fox or coyote urine sprayed around the plants and, of course, a 2-foot fence around the entire garden with an additional 8"--10" of the fencing buried below ground.  All of these suggestions come in the form of military intelligence gleaned from other victims of rabbit attack.  (Images from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" immediately come to mind.)

Each of these alleged rabbit repellents comes with certain problems:  creating fence-type barriers is work.  Sprays, mothballs and blood meal have to be reapplied after it rains, and putting bars of soap on sticks or cd's on strings creates the potential for me to be permanently labeled as the "neighborhood crazy lady" (a title I may very well have already earned.)  But, regardless of the potential cost or risk, I am determined to emerge victorious with my vegetable seedlings intact.  This, after all, is war.  This year, bunnies . . . you're going down!  In a few weeks, I'll post an update from the front. . .

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Winter is a Great Time to . . . Inventory Seeds

For an avid gardener, spring doesn't start with the Vernal Equinox, but at the first sign of new seed packets in the discount store's garden department.  I have to admit, the temptation to purchase a new garden by acquiring multiple packages of new seeds is tempting.  Their prices, however, are not . . . especially if I know I already have some seeds saved from last year, or last year's garden.  More than once I have purchased seeds, only to discover later that I already had that variety at home.

Now, one of my annual tasks in late January is to get out my vegetable, herb and flower seed packets from their moisture-proof plastic container in an unheated room, and make an inventory of the seeds I already have on hand.  I can also note on this list varieties I don't have, but want to purchase.  I tuck this list into my wallet, so it's always handy when I'm at the store.  I can spend money on seeds I need without buying duplicates, so there's no unnecessary expenditure.  And I can enjoy buying seeds for Pinwheel Zinnias, knowing for certain that I won't find out later that I already have three packages in the basement.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- Saving Seeds

Normally I would start collecting seeds in September for the next year's garden, but travel plans, and post-travel catch-up, have put me behind schedule.  Fortunately, seed collection is a forgiving process, and can be done throughout the fall, preferably when it has been at least 24 hours since the last rain shower.

Only open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds return true-to-type, but those varieties are typically plentiful and fairly easy to grow.  Many of the "old favorites", like Brandywine tomatoes and California Giants Zinnias, are open-pollinated varieties.

There are basically three types of seeds I collect:  those from composites (daisy-type flowers), those which form pods and "wet" seeds.  Composite seeds sometimes remain on the flower-head after the petals fall, as in the case with Cosmos varieties, Sunflowers and Calendula, and can just be gathered.  Other composite-type flowers, like Zinnias, Daisies, lettuces and Marigolds form seeds attached to the dried petals.  By removing the entire dried flower head and removing the dead petals, the seeds can be collected.

Pod-forming seeds just need to ripen and dry as thoroughly on the plant as possible before being collected.  Vegetable seeds such as bean and pea varieties and arugula form pods for seeds, as well as Balsam, Morning Glory and Cleome.  The trick with some of these seeds is collecting them before they naturally scatter in the garden.  Some gardeners will attach a small paper bag with string to the plant to catch seeds as the pods pop open.

"Wet" seeds aren't difficult to collect if they are properly dried.  Seeds from tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers and any plant in which the seeds are contained within a fruit or vegetable can be spread on a layer of wax paper after blotting off as much moisture as possible, and allowed to air-dry completely before storing.  The key to saving these varieties of seed is to make sure the fruit or vegetable is fully ripe before collecting seeds.

Whatever type of seeds you collect, the most important factors in retaining their viability is to make sure they are thoroughly dry before storing, to label them with variety and date, and to store them in a cool, dry place.  It's a good idea to spread any seeds saved on a dry paper towel overnight prior to storage.  I often then use those small, pesky "business reply" envelopes left from junk mail to store seed, and keep it in a plastic container in a cool cupboard.  If you have saved a few packages of silica gel from other purchases, toss one in each container of seeds to absorb excess moisture.

When I toured Mt. Vernon, I found it fascinating that the gardens there were designed to grow seeds for future use as well as produce for family consumption.  George himself commented that "After the first year, it is a sign of poor husbandry for a gardener to need to purchase seeds."  While the acquisition of fresh seed each gardening season is far easier for us now than it was in George Washington's day, it can be both thrifty and fascinating to gather and save seeds for next year's garden . . . and just another way to extend the harvest.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2009

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Thrift and the Garden -- Encouraging "Volunteers"

In my USDA Zone 6A garden, the first frost usually comes around mid-October.  (USDA Zone maps are printed in most gardening books and seed catalogs, and are essential for timing your gardening season.)   So, in late September or early October, I usually start thinking about seeds and plants for the following season.

If you have a meticulously tidy garden, you are not likely to have "volunteer" plants come up next season --plants which sprouted from seed that fell in the garden the previous year.  By discontinuing "dead-heading" (the removal of spent blossoms on flowers) you can encourage the formation of seed in your garden.  This seed can then be collected for next year's use, or allowed to scatter to encourage self-planting.

The advantage to volunteers in the garden is that they tend to be hardy, growing during, or in spite of, whatever weather comes in the Spring.  In addition, they are virtually labor-free . . . no watering or control of artificial light is necessary, unlike indoor-sprouted seedlings.  The only work involved is thinning or removing plants growing in the wrong place, or transplanting those which you desire to use elsewhere.  Low-labor gardening is my favorite kind of gardening!

Good candidates for self-sowing are hardy (somewhat cold-tolerant) annuals, some perennials, especially the native types, and certain vegetables and herbs.  Some plants which self-seed readily in my garden are:  annual flowers calendula, bachelor's button, cleome, forget-me-not, sweet william, cosmos, balsam and a tall, bronze variety of coleus.  I also frequently have perennial feverfew, coreopsis and echinacea self-sow, the herbs sweet basil and chives, leaf lettuces, arugula and tomatoes.  You may find that other varieties do well in your soil and climate.

To encourage these plants to reproduce, it is best to scuff up or loosen the soil at the base of the plant in late summer or early fall, or to top-dress the soil around the plant with a thin layer of compost or topsoil.  The only other requirement is to allow the plant to form seed . . . easy to do if you practice my gardening approach of "benign neglect".

A late spring freeze can sometimes kill volunteer plants which appeared during an early warm up.  If I have a good crop of volunteers in March, and know the temperature is going to take a dive, I'll cover these young plants for protection . . . that's usually all they require to survive.

If you're not sure about the survival of your volunteers, a good approach is to save some seed indoors, and to scatter the rest in the garden.  We'll talk about seed saving techniques next time.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

 

Thrift and the Garden -- Freezing Ripe Tomatoes

     It is a blessing to harvest an abundance of tomatoes fresh from the garden.  In my world, however, it seems that there is a glut of ripe tomatoes just at the time when I'm particularly busy with other things.  I have learned, however, a quick and easy way to stash tomatoes in the freezer for future use.

     I normally grow Romas for cooking, so when I have plenty, I wash and dry whole Romas, place them in pint freezer bags, and freeze.  That's it.  While many cookbooks recommend blanching and peeling first before freezing, the natural expansion of water in the fruits when they freeze splits the skins.  When I take them from the freezer and thaw them just slightly, the skins slip right off, and they are ready to prepare.  I core and chop them, seeds and all.  If you don't like the seeds, they can be removed before cooking.

     Frozen tomatoes tend to get mushy when fully thawed, so I have learned to dice them for soups and chili when they are still partially frozen.  They do fall apart somewhat in cooking, but I don't have a problem with that.  I still get that "fresh tomato" taste for much less effort than I would spend if I canned them.

     A pint bag holds about the same quantity of tomatoes which I would get in a 15.25-ounce can.  It is easy to substitute frozen tomatoes, and I don't end up wasting fruit that I don't have time to can or process into salsa.  If you find yourself with an abundance of tomatoes this summer, why not try freezing at least a few bags, and savor that fresh tomato taste in your winter recipes.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- How My Garden Grows in May

     My garden has taken off in May, and by now I have a pretty good idea about what's growing well this year, and what plants seem to be struggling.  (I don't suppose the plants that have died can still fall under the category of "struggling".)  Some seedlings have been eaten by cutworms, birds or marauding rabbits (pepper and tomato plants, this spring.) Others appear to have mutated into some super-healthy plant form and are growing like crazy . . . the lettuces, chard, potatoes, onions and sugar-snap peas look wonderful.  TV garden show propaganda aside, this is, in my experience, what is the normal process for a garden . . . some things grow well, some not so well.  Given this natural ebb and flow of gardening, there are still cost-effective things gardeners can do to increase success.  Some methods and approaches I typically use:

Mulching:  No, not the expensive, "Black Gold", bagged landscaping mulch, but a readily available, inexpensive weed barrier.  Laying down layers of dampened newspaper between plants, and covering them with a layer of grass clippings will help suppress a large variety of weeds, and the mulch will break down into organic matter to build the soil.  A layer of mulch also helps to conserve soil moisture, cutting down on the need for watering.

Growing intensively:  By faithfully enriching the soil, plants can be grown at closer-than-recommended spacing, which means more yield for the space, and fewer open areas for weed seeds to germinate and grow.  Books on  "Square Foot" gardening or "French Intensive" gardening describe this method in detail.

Composting:  I'm sure you know about this, but leaves, soft plant clippings (not woody ones), grass clippings, and food scraps can all be composted, as well as manure from many farm animals.  Pile in a bin and leave it until next season, or turn it with a pitchfork occasionally to speed up the process.  Avoid:  meat scraps and bones (fish are fine), grease, dog or cat droppings, weed seeds and taproots, and too thick a layer of anything.  When compost looks like rich, crumbly soil, it's ready to use to enrich the soil in your garden.

Direct sowing annuals from seed:  Many of the old standby flowers grow easily from seed, and often inexpensive "drugstore" seeds produce good results.  Zinnias, marigolds, poppies and cleome are just a few which may be direct-sown in the garden.  By learning which annuals self-sow in your garden, you can plant varieties which will also produce seedlings for next year. (Of course, this means you can't deadhead -- remove all the spent flower heads -- late in the season.)  My garden typically has calendula, bachelor's buttons and a bronze variety of coleus which self-sow readily.  These are helpful to transplant to bare spots created by premature plant death.

Growing open-pollinated varieties:  Non-hybrid plants that produce viable seed which can be saved and grown next year are considered "open pollinated" types, and include many of the old standbys, like Grand Rapids leaf lettuce and Brandywine tomatoes.  If I'm not too tidy at the end of the season, these plants also frequently will self-sow in my garden.  (These self-sown plants are euphemistically referred to as "volunteers".)  Often these volunteers will have a head start on the seedlings I started indoors, and will be hardier in the long run.

Growing sturdy perennials:  The types vary by region, but many perennials return reliably, year after year, and also spread to create lush garden beds.  These plants always reward me with a lot of flowers for little work, and include daylillies, peonies, lysmachia, lamb's ears, loostrife, coneflowers, columbine, sedums, yarrow, shasta daisies and shrub roses.  By growing varieties which thrive in my location and soil type, I do far less work (and spend less money replacing plants) than when I grow varieties I have to coddle. 

     My garden isn't perfect, but it is lovely, and full of vegetables, herbs and flowers by Memorial Day.  By using mulch and compost, intensive growing methods, easily available seed, self-sown plants and well-adapted plants, I get the biggest rewards for my efforts.  These strategies also help to free my time, which I can then spend to dig up the black walnut tree seedlings which were planted for me last fall in my vegetable beds by "helpful" neighborhood squirrels. 

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- Benign Neglect

     We've seen the programs on the home-and-garden channels:  they show meticulously landscaped yards, weedless gardens, abundant produce in strictly regimented rows, and never an indication that a dog has been on the lawn.  Flipping through gardening magazines gives us the same impression:  lush, perfect plants and beautiful, blemish-free vegetables are displayed page after page.  If we let ourselves, we can believe that this is how all (meaning "our") gardens should look, and, based on the effort that we know must be involved to attain that level of perfection, we can conclude that gardening is just too much work.

     What we have to remind ourselves (and I as much as anyone else) is that the various forms of media are mostly about marketing.  Magazines exist to sell stuff.  TV programs, even those on public TV, have sponsors who want to sell stuff.  The blemish-free gardens in the media (and the blemish-free people, by the way) aren't real.  Few of us have the staff of gardeners which works on the average garden show.  While a lovely environment is a nice thing, weeds are a part of life. . .and real life isn't a photo shoot.

     A garden can be extremely labor-intensive if we expect to uphold garden-show standards, or, in the real world, it can be beautiful and very productive without being perfect.  To allow time constraints to keep us from enjoying the benefits and savings of gardening is to miss out on the colors, flavors and wonder of the garden.  To find the balance between productivity and perfection, I advocate applying what I call "benign neglect".  This is simply selective maintenance:  that which prevents the need for enormous effort later, and that which produces the highest yield for the amount of time spent.

     Benign neglect means doing the important stuff -- planting, watering, some weeding and some trimming -- without stressing over the rest.  Case in point:  last year, I wanted to, but didn't get a chance to prune my grape vines.  While they may not have looked as "manicured" as some, at the end of the season we had an abundance of grapes . . . many more than we could use.  The summer I didn't bother to remove the "suckers" from my tomato plants, I had my largest tomato harvest ever.  When I had weeds in the strawberry bed which I couldn't pull out by the root without disturbing the berry plants, I cut the weeds off at ground level before they went to seed.  The bachelor's buttons which self-sowed from last season didn't get thinned to "recommended" spacing, but they look beautiful and lush, are blooming like crazy, and there isn't a square inch available in the bed for a weed seed to germinate!

     The key to benign neglect is knowing -- or learning -- what maintenance is essential and what can slide.  If I fail to keep my plants watered, especially during a drought, they'll die.  So regular, deep watering is essential to a healthy garden when there isn't adequate rainfall.  With weeding, however, I find it's often easier to pull weeds a few inches tall, rather than trying to get them when they first appear.  Soil preparation is very important early in the season, especially in intensively planted beds, but often thinning certain direct-seeded plants, like lettuce, isn't really that important.  By reading, observing, talking to other gardeners, and learning from mistakes, I learn how necessary it is to perform each task.  With that information, I'm able to prioritize how I spend my time in the garden, especially when I'm short on time.

     One of the wonderful things about gardens is that they are forgiving.  As we employ "wise economy in the use of resources" -- my favorite definition of thrift -- we need to find a middle ground to an all-or-nothing approach to money saving strategies.  By employing wise economy when using our time and energy in the garden, we can have herbs, flowers, produce and beauty without a massive time commitment.  Unfortunately, I haven't really found a way to employ the same "benign neglect" strategy when it comes to cleaning bathrooms.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- The Plant Swap

     If you garden for food, as a hobby, or both, you know that spending money on new plants each season can put a serious crimp in your budget.  But chances are that you know other gardeners in your neighborhood, at work or at church, and gardening is a pastime where using your network can really save cash.

     First, establish a few contacts you know who regularly garden, and ask each of them to identify a fellow gardener who isn't already on your list.  Set a date in mid-Spring, and host a plant swap.  Give everyone you contact enough advance notice to have time to identify and pot up extra plants they have to exchange . . . self-sown annuals, perennials which are ready to divide (or take over,) runners from strawberry plants, and so on.  You may have had extraordinary success with germinating a specific type of seed, and have an abundance of marigold or coleus plants.  Label each plant or cell-pack of seedlings for easy identification, and if you have a rare or unusual plant, consider typing up a short description of care and habit.

     The actual swap is a time to encourage generosity, and unless someone seems extremely abusive, don't worry about how many plants each person takes . . . the only requirement is that they bring something to share.  This initial swap is also a good time to exchange e-mail addresses (in case anyone has specific plant questions) and plan your seed purchases for the next season.

     Plan now for next Spring???  No, you don't have to nail down all of your growing intentions for next year's garden, but if two of you always grow bell peppers and Roma tomatoes from seed, now is a time to think about each of you growing more of one plant, and then swapping them next season for the others you need.  You both save time and the money spent on seeds.  You may also find that, by planning ahead, you have the opportunity to propagate cuttings from some of your more established plants, like flowering shrubs. 

     If a number of the people in your swap have an abundance of the same plants every season, you can also consider joining together to have a community plant sale after next year's swap.  This can provide a great way for you and your fellow gardeners to make money to buy a few new plants without affecting your regular budgets, and at the same time, multiply your plant collections for future swaps!  Happy gardening!

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- Growing Garlic

     If I had to live with only one seasoning, it might be garlic.  While it does require a fairly long growing season (about 8 months), it is very easy to grow in the home garden, and is not bothered by pests or diseases.  I typically plant garlic in early November in my Zone 6 garden, mulch it with straw or grass clippings over winter, remove the mulch in the spring, and harvest it the following summer.  Garlic requires a period of cool weather early in the season to grow well.

     Garlic prefers well drained soil, so it does well in raised beds, in soil which has been amended with compost or composted manure.  It is best to purchase bulbs from a local grower, because you will get a variety which does well in your region, but you can also use bulbs purchased at the grocery store.  Separate the bulbs into cloves, and plant the individual cloves with the tips up, just below the soil surface.  Cloves should be planted 4" apart, and can be intensively planted in rows 4" apart, or in rows spaced about 12" apart in conventional gardens.  Garlic does best with regular watering, in soil which never dries out completely while bulbs are developing.  The leaves of the plant are also edible, and can be sparingly harvested as the plants are growing.

     After about 8 months, discontinue supplemental watering.  When the leaves begin to turn brown, the garlic is ready to harvest.  Dig up the entire plant and remove excess soil.  Bulbs should be allowed to cure in the shade for about  2 weeks before storing, and brought inside if it rains.   The leaves may be left on the bulbs and braided together, to hang for storage, or leaves may be removed about 1" above the bulbs, which then can be stored in baskets.  Save the largest bulbs to replant for the next season's crop, but be sure to plant them in a different location the following season.  Garlic will store well for up to a year if kept in a cool, dry location.

--Susan Rodebush © 2009

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Thrift and the Garden -- Growing Native Wildflowers

     Every March the first warm, sunny days of spring draw me outside to the garden.   Our garden contains a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers, and because we have lived in our current home less than four years, it is very much a work in progress.  One garden element I am trying to expand is our collection of native wildflowers.

     These natives grow in a number of locations around our property.  Some are in beds, interspersed with vegetables and herbs, and non-native annuals and perennials.  Some are naturalized in wilder areas.  Although we have a few woodland types, the native flowers which grow among our cultivated plants are mostly varieties which originated in meadows and prairies.

     Natives are among the thriftiest flowers to grow for several reasons.  They usually don't need additional fertilizer, having adapted to lean soils.  Plant diseases and insects normally don't bother them, (although some native flowers are host plants for butterfly larvae,) so they won't need herbicides or pesticides.  Their watering requirements are also usually lower than non-natives, and often, once they are established, they will only require water during prolonged periods of drought.  In addition to all of that, they happen to be beautiful.

     One of the other reasons I like native flowers, however, is because they attract pollenators to the garden, which in turn spread pollen on neighboring plants, increasing their yields.  Among my favorite native varieties are orange Butterfly Weed (Asclepias Tuberosa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea), rich purple New York Ironweed (Vernonia Noveboracensis) and  bright yellow, Showy Goldenrod (Solidago Speciosa).  All of these plants are attractive to butterflies, and attractive in the landscape as well.  The ironweed and goldenrod can be trimmed back halfway about 2 months before flowering to make them shorter and bushier.  They are all relatively easy to grow, although the butterfly weed should be planted where you want it, since its deep taproot makes it hard to transplant.

     Any of these plants, and many others can be started from seed, and can be pre-sprouted using the technique described in my post dated 2/20/09 (Pre-sprouting Seeds).  Since they are all perennials, they are not likely to bloom until the second season.  After that, they should bloom and flourish for many years to come. 

    For seed sources for these and other native wildflowers, try www.wildseedfarms.com or www.parkseed.com 

--Susan Rodebush © 2009

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Thrift and the Garden. . .Saving. . .Silica Gel?!?

     I've always been a little mystified by the warning on those little packs of silica gel which come in boxes of shoes and electronics:  DISCARD - DO NOT EAT!  It has never even occurred to me to look in a box of shoes for something to eat, so I find it difficult to understand why anyone else would.  Maybe it's just me.

     There is, however, another part of the warning which I ignore:  the word DISCARD.  Now, I know that some thrifty people save anything and everything for future use, and I don't advocate saving anything you can't, or won't use.  Silica gel, however, is very useful to a gardener.

     The main purpose for which I use silica gel is saving seeds.  In the fall, when the gardening season is winding down, I typically save seeds from annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables for next year's use.  (This works best with open-pollinated, or non-hybrid, varieties.)  A small packet of silica gel, placed in the bag or container of saved seeds, absorbs excess moisture and keeps seeds from getting moldy in storage.  By saving packets of silica gel whenever I receive them in packaging, I always have some available for keeping my seeds in prime condition until the following growing season.

     Another use for silica gel, if you are so inclined, is as a medium for drying fresh flowers.  For those types of blooms that don't air-dry well by hanging them upside down in bunches, the individual flower heads can be removed and covered for a few weeks in a container of silica gel.  The large silica gel packages (sometimes marked 'desiccant') which come with some electronics items work well for this.  Gel is simply removed from packaging and poured over the blossoms in a sealable container.  I don't personally spend time drying this type of flower, although I have in the past.  More complete instructions are available in floral arrangement guides if this topic is of interest to you.

     Saving seeds is a great way for gardeners to save money, and using silica gel is a great way to preserve seeds.  And, although I've never tried it, I'm sure it beats eating the stuff.

--Susan Rodebush © 2009

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The Thrifty Gardener -- Rooting Houseplants for Outdoor Use

     Spring is still several weeks away, but every sunny day in late winter reminds the gardener that planting season is near.  In addition to starting new plants from seed, a great, thrifty way to multiply plants for your garden is to root houseplant cuttings indoors.

     I prefer to root cuttings in water, in bright but indirect light.  Cut off the tip of a stem with a sharp, clean knife or scissors, strip off the bottom 2-3 leaves, and place in a jar of tepid water.  There should be at least 3 leaves remaining on the cutting.  In a few days to a week or so, small roots will develop along the stem at the leaf nodules which are under water.  At this point the plant can be potted in soil, or can remain in fresh water as the roots continue to grow. 

     After danger of frost is past in your area, the cuttings can be planted outside.  Be aware of the normal light requirements of the plant -- many houseplants can't tolerate direct southern or western sunlight outdoors.  I typically use my cuttings as filler for blooming container plants.  Wandering Jew (Zebrina Pendula) is probably my favorite.  It grows prolifically in an eastern or northern exposure in my Zone 6 garden.  At the end of the growing season I just whack off a bunch of cuttings to root in water over winter for the following spring.  They are all offspring of a single cutting I was given almost ten years ago.

     Other plants which root easily in water are:  Begonias (but not the tuberous types), Bougainvillea, Coleus, English-, Grape- or Swedish-Ivy, Moses-In-The-Cradle (Rhoeo), Vining Philodendron, Pothos, Purple Passion Plant and Spider Plant (babies).  Using cuttings of houseplants in outdoor containers and beds not only saves money, but creates variety in your plantings.  Happy Gardening! 

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2009

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Thrift and the Garden - Pre-Sprouting Seeds

     Not everyone has space for a garden -- or even a container with a fresh herb plant -- but for those who do, gardening can be a thrifty way to produce fresh, high quality vegetables and herbs, and cut down on the grocery bill at the same time.

     There isn't room here to discuss basics of establishing a vegetable garden, but there are many fine books available on the subject at your local library.  By starting small, selecting a sunny location, and properly preparing the soil, most anyone can successfully grow vegetables and herbs in their first season.

     For those of us who already have gardened, starting plants from seed is a cost-effective way to grow fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs, and for many of us, late winter is the time to start.  By saving and storing unused seed from a previous season in a cool, dry location, the cost of a packet of seed can also be spread over several seasons.  In order to make sure the seed from a previous year is still viable, a simple germination test can be done.  This test works well with any garden seeds that are large enough to handle, like tomato, zinnia and bell pepper seeds.

     To do a germination test, you will need:

-- seeds

-- plain white paper towels

-- zip-style sandwich bags

-- sticky labels

     The procedure is simple: fold a paper towel in fourths, and moisten it with water so it is damp but not dripping.  Sprinkle seeds in the center third of the quarter-folded paper towel, and fold the other two thirds toward the center.  Place folded towel in sandwich bag, seal, label and date.  I place my bags on a warm surface, like the top of my freezer.

     Some seeds, like broccoli and bibb lettuce, will sprout in as little as 24 hours.  Other seeds may take up to 2 weeks to sprout.  Refer to germination times on the seed packet to get an idea about how soon to check the seeds.  If you check them and they haven't sprouted, but the paper towel seems a little dry, spritz it with a little water before returning the paper towel to the sandwich bag.  Discard any paper towels which develop mold, or any on which the seeds haven't sprouted by the maximum germination time designated on the seed packet.

     As soon as seeds sprout, plant them in cell packs filled with moistened seed-starting medium.  If you allow the sprout to grow too large, the root will grow through the paper towel and it will be difficult to remove the sprout without breaking the root.  (I use a toothpick or craft stick to gently lift the sprouted seed onto the soil, and then cover it.)  Label the cell pack with the variety of plant and date, then cover with plastic wrap.  When green seedlings appear in cell pack, remove plastic wrap and place cell pack in a sunny location, watering as needed, to grow until it is time to harden-off plants outdoors.

     By pre-sprouting seeds, not only am I able to use seeds from previous years which are still viable, but I know I will have a living plant growing in every cell, rather than the hit-or-miss results I sometimes get when I plant the seeds directly into cell packs.  By doing this, I save money on seed-starting medium as well as the seeds I plant.  I hope you find that this technique works for you as well.  Happy gardening!

--Susan Rodebush © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.