Wednesday, April 19, 2017

GARDENING - good for soul and wallet

I am not sure about everyone else, but gardening is my therapy!  There is no amount of money or no therapist good enough, to take the place of nature.
Whether I am tending flowers, veggies, or just digging out weeds - my soul is touched and healed.  I can absolutely lose myself in the great outdoors.
I can be sad, depressed, unhappy, or just plain lonely - and I get some respite looking and playing with God's beautiful flowers and His scrumptious food that is pleasantly growing in my yard.

Growing a garden is great for the frugal wallet as well.  No where can you buy fresh food that tastes as good as it does, when you walk out your door and pick it.  You just can't get any fresher.  If you have never grown a garden, I hope you try to grown SOMETHING this year - you just won't believe how wonderful it tastes!

I hear so many people say they can't afford to grow a garden.  You can't afford NOT to!  It costs so little,  It is an absolute miracle (to me) what one little seed - that becomes a plant - can produce.  I single zucchini seed will give you zucchini all summer.  A single tomato seed will yield pounds of tomatoes! 
Most things I grow I 'direct seed'.  That means you put the seed directly in the soil to start your plant.  About the only things I don't direct seed is tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and cabbage.  Everything else grows so quickly and is easy to start.

I hear I have no room to grow a garden.  Do you have a patio or balcony?  Do you have a flower bed?  Do you have a driveway?  If the answer is yes - you have room to grow 'something'.  You can plant in pots, buckets, barrels, you name it.  Plant a tomato or pepper amongst the shrubs or flowers.  Most anything can be planted in a big pot (just make sure it has drainage).
All you have to do is make sure it gets sun and water , and 'feed' it once in  while.
You can actually 'feed' the plant with your kitchen waste for FREE.  Coffee grounds are wonderful as they actually add phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and copper to the soil.  You can blend up egg shells, banana peels, etc. and add to your pots for fertilizer. 
Catch rain water - and even your watering will be FREE.

If you find heirloom seeds or plants that are heirloom (they do cost a little more), you can save your own seeds for next year and the year after.  Heirloom plants are from seeds that have not been modified one bit for generations and generations!  They are the REAL thing!!!!!  If you save seeds from those plants you will always know what you will get.  If you save seeds from genetically modified plants - you will never know what the seed will produce.


Plan what you want to grow.  It may be just salad food - like lettuce, onions, tomatoes, radish, carrots (all are easy) or it may be more involved. 
Spend very little on seeds or a couple plants.  Find some containers or make room in your yard.
GROW, GROW, GROW!  You won't be sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you only grow what you can eat fresh - that is fine.  You will be enjoying fresh produce all summer.  Grow a little more and you can freeze or can some for the winter.  Just remember:  FRESH IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!   You will know exactly what you are eating and where it came from.

 I hope each of you grows a little something this year.  Being somewhat self -sufficient feels so wonderful.  You can work in the great outdoors and enjoy all the nature the good Lord provides, and soothe your soul, and you can provide great nutritious food for you and your family for little or no money.
Sounds like a WIN - WIN to me!!!!!



The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield to harvest.
Psalm 85:12

Happy gardening.
Now if you will excuse me, I am going out to play in the dirt!

16 comments:

  1. The weather has been so nice lately. Like you said everyone can plant a garden now. Funny thing you will get addicted to gardening real fast! have a great gardening day!

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    1. You are so right Vickie. It is addictive. Nothing like walking out in your yard and picking your dinner!
      Have a good day.

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  2. I am looking forward to the fresh greens this year, will definitely save on not buying them in the grocery store...I know someone who whirls up all her veggie trimmings in her blender and then pours it around her trees (fruiting trees) for extra nutrition! She grows massive amounts of food for her family that way.

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    1. Ellen, I can't wait for the first juicy tomato!!!!
      Looking forward to the greens as well - oh heck, who am I kidding, I am looking forward to it all!
      Food feeds our bodies, and ALL the scraps can nourish our plants as well.
      Such a good idea and FREE
      Have a great day friend!

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  3. Hi Cheryl, I love eating food fresh from the garden. I am afraid I have not been very frugal this year gardening with buying those raised beds. But as you say it is good therapy and I would rather spend my money doing that then going to therapy! LOL Nancy

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    1. Nancy - those beds will last many years, so in the end, I believe it is still frugal. You will be getting fresh food, and having a ball at the same time.
      Pretty cheap entertainment in my book!

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  4. I have lots of perennial flower beds but none that get enough sun for growing food. I've been researching growing in pots, especially zucchini. I'm going to put them in the yard where they will get full sun. I'm so excited to get started but have to wait till planting time here which is around the end of May. And I agree with you that it does my soul good!
    Melody in OR

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    1. Melody, I am glad you have figured a way to grow some garden in your yard. I sure hope they do well.
      Same here, we can't plant for a few weeks yet.
      ENJOY

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    2. Melody, if you do the driveway make sure the pots don't fall over in the wind! they can get topheavy

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  5. I live in a sub tropical zone in Australia. Winter is actually my growing season as summers are just too hot. I use heirloom seeds and am gradually ordering less each year. This year bak choy, tomatoes, lettuce and coriander(cilantro) have come up as volunteers. I haven't bought tomato or lettuce seeds since we moved here and the garden went in three years ago. This saves us so much money and is something that I can pass on as seedlings or as grown veg to my friends and neighbours. One widower neighbour is a keen fisherman. He often drops off excess fish as he enjoys the fresh veg that comes his way. This is a nice little system. He also has a large mango tree in his yard that I get fruit off each year for jams and chutney.
    I grow in the ground and in pots as well. I do have some pots that came from nurseries but my extra big pots came from the refuse tip recycle shop. Some are 44 gallon drums cut in half and some are old pool filters that my husband has cut the top off. We consider our garden as an investment. It does cost some money to set up but once going it can be quite self contained. Weeds can be put into a covered plastic bin with water and left to brew. This tea, watered right down is a wonderful plant tonic. Costs nothing other than a bit of time and effort.

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    1. Jane you sure have the right idea and a wonderful system.
      Not only are you getting wonderful food, and exercise - but bartering as well!!!!! WIN - WIN -WIN!
      It does a few dollars to set up originally, but the investment is well worth it and will last for years. You are proof of that.
      Oh how I love mangos! That is one of my favorite fruits - how wonderful to be able to go out in the yard and pick them.

      Keep up the good work and keep us informed on your gardening! Love hearing from you.

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    2. love the thought of compost tea from weeds, thanks Jane!

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    3. who'd of thunk????? I would never have thought of that either!

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    4. If you also put if come comfrey leaves into your weed tea, you are providing lots of minerals to your plants. Warning, you must water the weed tea right down to being very pale in colour, and it stinks to high heaven.

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  6. I am itching to get out and garden. :) There is so much to do to get the garden ready for planting but with all our rain, it has put us way behind. I am enjoying the early Spring flowers though that are popping up all over. I discovered some rose bushes coming up in one of my garden areas that need to be dug out and moved to another spot. Hopefully hubby can do that for me this weekend. :) Be blessed my friend!

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    1. Debbie, yes it does take a lot of prep work. I make a little headway then it rains for a couple days - and I have to start over.
      Good luck with getting stuff done this weekend.
      Have a great day

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