Tag: gardening

October 13, 2023

How to Make the Most of a Winter Garden Now

Since we are now finally into the fall season, the weather has finally started to cool down. But it also means that we’ve started to notice less fresh produce at our local farmer’s markets. Since we have been actively working on creating our own garden this year, this next season will be a new challenge. Our hope is that we can make the most of a winter garden by starting it now. And in turn save us some money on food and help us eat healthier throughout the cold season.

PREPARing for a winter garden now

When preparing for a winter garden, the first thing to determine is which hardiness zone you live in. This is important because each zone has different first frost dates. All crops are organized by first frost dates, so this is important to know ahead of time.

Since each crop needs a certain amount of light, water and growing time to reach maturity, you want the crops to reach maturity before your first frost hits.

Once you have your approximate first frost date, then you should determine where you want to plant your winter crops.

Each crop will have slightly different requirements for the following:

Sunlight
Water
Spacing
Soil pH
Nitrogen content
Phosphorus content
Potassium content

Your soil will have varying degrees of vitamins, minerals and nutrients so it might be very beneficial to have it soil tested. You can send your soil off to be tested for free (I’ve done this many times before). Or you can purchase a soil testing kit to use at home instead, if that is your preference.

Since I live in North Carolina, we can send our soil off to the Department of Agriculture for a very in depth soil test. The results of these tests tend to be a lot more in depth than the in home tests, which I happen to be a big fan of. However, it does definitely take much longer to get the results back than a home test would. So this will depend upon how accurate you want to be with your garden, as well as if you’re looking at different areas around your yard to plant.

WINTER CROPS TO PLANT

Once you have determined what your soil makeup is and how much sunlight you get, choosing the crops is the next step. Obviously, don’t choose crops for your winter garden that aren’t things you would regularly eat. Unless you want to branch out and try new things (which is what we love to do!). I would suggest including crops that might be used more for seasoning and flavor enriching also, as these “spices” can certainly kill your grocery budget if you’re not careful..

After making your list of the the more common crops you like, then add in the garden potentials that you may eat more of if you had it available. Once you have your list of potential crop candidates, the next step is to narrow them down by how long they take to reach maturity.

Most seeds will tell you how long they take, on average, to reach maturity. So you want to make sure you plant the crops that take the longest to mature first.

6 – 8 WEEKS TO MATURITY

This is the time frame you should be looking for during this time of the year in order to reap the most benefits from your winter garden.

Some of the most common winter crops in this maturity window are:

Basil
Bush Beans
Collard Greens
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leaf Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Radishes
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

WINTER Garden SUMMARY

Overall, even though we are starting to see less and less fresh produce at this time of year, there are still some things we can plant. Proper planning is the best way to start any new project, and a successful winter garden is no different.

It’s helpful to determine your hardiness zone first and then get your soil tested. After that, start narrowing down the list of winter crops that you’d like to grow and where they might grow best in your yard. Once you’ve chosen your crops, make sure you have enough time for them to reach maturity prior to the first frost in your area. After that, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and hopefully save yourself some green this winter also!

Have you begun planting your winter garden yet? If so, which ones have you planted and when?

June 15, 2023

Gardening to Increase Your Health and Wealth

I will be the first to admit that gardening was never something I figured that I would do. However, as we have ventured further down the path towards financial independence, gardening is one of those things that helps. Embarking upon our gardening journey with growing food has helped to increaser both our health and our wealth. So, here are some of the great tips we’ve learned so far to help us be more successful on our gardening journey.

Gardening for Health

Growing your own food can help you save money on groceries, if you do it right. But, gardening can take some really hard work in the beginning to finally get to the place of balance. Therefore, you’ll have to put in some sweat equity regularly, and be prepared to make mistakes. After all, the best way to learn anything is through the mistakes we make along the way!

No matter what your space is, there is a way to work a garden out. Some of the most common options are:

a large space to garden – you can plant many different crops in rows, raised beds, stackable planters, or any combination
a small patio or deck – hanging baskets, stacking planters, railing planters are the best options

Even though we have a large back yard, we have found that planting a lot of our crops in planter boxes works better for us. It helps reduce the number of weeds and pests, and it’s easier to keep all of the dogs out of our food.

gardening for wealth

According to the most recent report by the National Gardening Association (NGA), the number of households that participate in gardening has only continued to increase every year. I’m pretty confident that this is due to multiple reasons:

COVID affected how people could get fresh food, so personal gardens gained popularity
quality of fresh produce has declined throughout the years
grocery prices have increased
people have started taking more control over their health and wealth and food is a big part of that

On top of increasing individual health, the amount that a household can save on groceries can also increase. For the most part, having your own home garden can save you between $500 – $1000 per year. However, this can be based on:

where you live
your family size
how many different crops you grow
what kind of seeds and starters you choose to use

As an example, we are a family of 7, and were able to save a little over $600 the first year we started our food garden. And we only started out with a very small amount of crops, because of time and knowledge constraints. Seeing as we have expanded our garden this year, we are pretty excited to see how much more we can save this year.

choosing seeds

Besides losing crops due to inexperience, choosing seeds can be the next more expensive part of at home gardening. Especially, if you are like us and only use organic seeds.

The reason we choose organic seeds only is due to the fact that we want all of the crops we grow to be organic from beginning to end. Organic seeds and growing everything organically, creates a better end result that is more nutrient dense. And we don’t run the risk of potentially toxic chemicals in our food or soil. Both of these are things extremely important to us, so we’re willing to pay more for it.. But, different strokes for different strokes, and this may not be where you land, which is perfectly fine.

Either way, the cost of the seeds you buy will all depend on whether they are:

organic
heirloom
perennials (they come back every year without you having to replant)
annuals(you will only get one crop out of them and will have to replant every year)

We prefer to plant perennial crops because I am not a huge fan of having to do the same work over and over again. It is hard enough work to keep the beds weeded and the pests away. Due to this, we are working on creating a more permaculture type of garden this year, which will naturally keep the pests away. But, we’ll just have to see how that goes!

Gardening for health and wealth summary

Overall, gardening can be a great way to increase both your health and your wealth. However, the costs of starting your garden can vary widely, depending on:

where you live (cost of living)
how big your family is
how much room you have for a garden
seed costs
learning curve

When you first begin this journey, it will probably be overwhelming. As with everything life though, it gets easier with time and knowledge. Plus, it is so rewarding to be able to go outside and pick your own fresh fruits and veggies and not have to pay anything for it. There is almost nothing better, in my opinion, than being able to create meals right from my own backyard. And we are definitely healthier, and wealthier for it!

What are some of the greatest benefits you’ve had from starting your own food garden?

March 15, 2021

These are Awesome Natural Mosquito Repellents!

With the spring almost here, the warmer weather is upon us. And, in a lot of areas, that means it’s also time for mosquitoes to start showing back up again. I know where we are, it’s the bane of our outdoor time. Mosquitoes are not only annoying, but can carry disease, along with some major scratching once you’ve been bitten. We aren’t fans of anything chemical to treat them with, since those things cause other side effects to the environment. Plus they can get pretty expensive to maintain also. So, we’ve found some of the best natural mosquito repellents that do the job well and don’t cost much to implement.

Citronella

Citronella is one of my favorite go to plants for mosquito repellents. If you’ve ever had a citronella scented candle you know what it smells like. And, while it can be a pretty darn good mosquito repellent, not everyone likes the smell.

What I’ve found is that the actual citronella plant has a slightly different odor that I like much better. It’s not as artificial smelling and keeps the mosquitoes away pretty darn well. Plus, they make beautiful borders for garden beds because they can get very full and have beautiful leaves.

An even better way to keep the mosquitoes away with citronella is to crush up a couple of the leaves and rub them on your exposed skin.

Lavender

Lavender is very similar to the citronella plant at repelling mosquitoes. But, it has much more color to add to your garden or landscaping. One of my favorite places to plant the lavender plant is by the front porch. This way, guests get the lovely scent of lavender as they approach our front door. But, as a double bonus, the plants also help keep the mosquitoes at bay.

I like to crush up a stalk of lavender and rub it on my skin whenever I am getting ready to garden. But another great way to use it is to make a spray out of the lavender essential oil, since it is so easy to come by.

basil

Out of all of the mosquito repellents, basil is my absolute favorite option. A big part of this is that we use a lot of basil in our cooking already. So the basil plant has a double function in our house right out of the gate.

I like to plant this one in the corners of our herb garden to help mosquito prevention while I’m working in the garden. Take one or two leaves and crush them up in your hands and then rub on the exposed skin. It makes you smell like a delicious salad, which I love!

rosemary

Rosemary serves the same function as basil does. So, the rosemary plant is a good option to add into your border rotation in the garden along with the basil. And, if you like to add rosemary to your culinary dishes, then this plant serves two purposes for you immediately also. Plus, rosemary is pretty darn easy to grow.

But, you should be careful with rosemary because it doesn’t take much for it to take over your garden. It’s a vigorous grower. So, I’ve found the best way to incorporate it into our garden is by putting it in big pots. This way I can also move them around, if need be, but they also won’t take over any of my other crops.

marigolds

Marigolds are very popular in most areas of the United States. These plants are brightly colored and make great borders for landscaping beds and/or around mailboxes. I’ve used them quite a few times for both their color and their mosquito repellent properties.

Usually, the marigold plant can be found in shades of yellow, gold, orange and tinges of red. So they make great additions to most landscapes. They are extremely easy to plant and care for, and are fantastic insect repellents. I like to plant these around the edges of where my kids play and in some of the corners of landscaping beds. But, since they are annuals, they will have to be replanted each year. Which I am not a huge fan of. But since they are pretty darn cost effective, it can be worth it to purchase a few plants each year.

geraniums

Geraniums are very similar to marigolds in that they come in some beautiful coloring options. More often than not, I put these in a pot on the front and back porches. And that is usually where I find other people tend to put them also. They are easy to grow and care for, and in a lot of cases can bloom all year long.

They don’t do well in the cold though. So if you choose to add the geranium plant into your rotation, it’s best to pot it. This way you can bring it in when it gets cold and enjoy the beautiful colors and aroma inside during the winter.

best natural mosquito repellents summary

Ultimately, there are quite a few natural ways to repel mosquitoes. But, my favorite ways all include plants. Luckily, none of these plant options are very expensive. And most of them are perennials, so you won’t necessarily have to repurchase them every year, if conditions are right. If you plan it out right, you can get some lovely smelling and looking additions to your landscape and repel mosquitoes at the same time. This is what I call multitasking!

April 15, 2020

How We Are Surviving Through COVID 19

As pretty much everyone in the world knows now, COVID 19 has completely changed our world. We were all set to go on our big joint 40th birthday trip to Greece in the middle of March when all of this hit. Obviously, that didn’t work out for us and we are extremely disappointed, to say the least. But, at least we are home safe with our family and not trapped in another country.

But since all of this has unfolded, it has changed every aspect of our lives, as I am sure it has for you too. So I want to talk about what we have been doing now that our world has turned upside down, both financially and in every other way.

Unemployment

As has happened to most other American’s, we have lost a significant amount of our income. My spouse is a chef, so when all restaurants were mandated to close, his job went along with it. That doesn’t even include me, as a small business owner, but we will get to that in the next section.

Once his restaurant closed, we thought we were stuck. But, due to the wide reaching impact of COVID 19, unemployment insurance was opened up to any and all W2 employees that were affected. My spouse included.

So, we applied for him to begin getting unemployment. Although, this sounds easier than it actually was. So many people were applying that North Carolina’s system kept crashing. It took us 2 days to finally complete his application, with all supporting documentation. And another week and a half for them to approve him.

While it is awesome that he is receiving unemployment benefits now, North Carolina is one of the few states that doesn’t offer a full 26 weeks of unemployment, but only 12 weeks. We are hoping that will be mandated to change due to the circumstances, but only time will tell.

paycheck protection program

As for me, the new CARES Act states I should qualify for unemployment. I did apply for myself also, but the system keeps kicking me out and telling me that I am ineligible. I think they will eventually figure it out, but due to the fact that unemployment has never had to take self-employed or small business owners, they simply don’t have the infrastructure to handle us yet.

So, I spoke to another entrepreneur I know and was informed that I simply had to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to get funding for my business. At first, I didn’t want to apply because I didn’t want to be on the hook for a loan. But, the way this one is structured is that the loan is supposed to be forgiven entirely, as long as you only use it for approved items. Those items include payroll and up to 25% of the loan for utilities to keep the business operational.

I just applied 2 days ago and haven’t heard anything back yet. But since each individual bank has to approve it through their underwriter first, and then it goes to the SBA for their approval, it could take a while. Either way, I am crossing my fingers that one of these avenues pans out for me, because I have lost about 90% of my business currently.

food stamps

Another option that I looked into was food stamps, or the SNAP program. While the parameters are different in every state, we happen to qualify in ours. Even though my spouse and I aren’t married, we share a household and 5 kids, so we fall into a household size of 7. Due to our incomes being decimated, we more than qualify for the food and nutrition assistance program.

And even though I really don’t want to go back on food stamps, I will take whatever help I can get right now. Especially since our family size could potentially get us a little over $1000 for groceries each month while all of this is going on. That would really help take a lot of the financial stress off and comes in under what our normal grocery budget is. Even though I applied a week ago, and my application is still pending, I am crossing my fingers that they will approve us any day now.

homeschooling

While I began homeschooling one child this year, I am now pretty much homeschooling 4 more. Yes, I said 4 more! The 1 child was more of a challenge than I initially thought, but it has been great for him. And great for our relationship too. So, it has been very worth the extra work on my end for both of us.

But, now due to schools being closed until potentially next school year, we have 4 more kids who need some educational guidance. I realize that it is different in every state and county, but ours hasn’t started mandating any sort of virtual instruction yet. And they have been out of school for over 3 weeks now.

So, I have been busy figuring out all of their weaknesses and assigning work to help them improve. Of course, that has been a lot more work for me and my spouse. And certainly some tears and frustration on the kids end. But, it has really helped us see where they are lacking in their education. Therefore, the positive is that this time can only help us help them improve.

home improvement projects

As I am sure a lot of us are doing, we have been tackling a lot of home improvement projects. Most of ours have been talked about for quite some time but kept getting pushed to the back-burner. So, now that we have a whole lot more time on our hands, we are taking advantage.

We haven’t been going out to spend a lot of money on supplies. That would just hurt our bottom line right now. Instead, we have been doing things such as:

weeding
blowing hardscapes
pressure washing
reset our patio and put in polymeric sand (if you don’t know what this stuff is, it’s awesome!)
moving random pavers to create another small patio outside my office
cutting down trees
trimming bushes
cleaning out storage shed
reorganizing my office so I can actually look out my window and open my door to the outside world
going through all of the kids clothes, games, random stuff and downsizing everything
building garden boxes

I am sure there is more that I am forgetting, and there will be more in the future. I figure that our house and yard will look and feel the best it ever has once we all come out of this. So why not take advantage of the time we have been given?

exercise

This is a category that I have been slacking on of late due to working too much. And trying to spend more time with the kids. So, even though I normally do a lot of yard work and walk a lot of dogs for one of my businesses, it still isn’t enough for me.

My spouse loves to play disc golf and I love to hike. So, we have a great compromise of playing disc golf together on more challenging courses with more diverse terrain. That way I can get my hiking in and he gets to throw.

And due to COVID 19, we have had the time to go play some much further out courses that we have never been able to get to before. Which has been a lot of fun when we don’t have the kids.

I also love to bike but haven’t really had the time for that either, until recently. My normal bike mileage on the Greenway is somewhere between 35-40 miles when I ride regularly. But, since I just started getting back into it, I am starting back out at 15-20 miles. It shouldn’t take me too long to build back up to my normal mileage. But, it’s disappointing to see how far behind I’ve fallen.

Although, I have loved being able to get back out on my bike, ride hands free and just enjoy the wind and the nature.

covid 19 new world summary

Overall, we are all being severely affected by COVID 19. It has changed the whole landscape of our world. And while the up side is that none of us are sick, this has still been a challenge.

We have been looking into any and all resources that might be able to help us financially during this time to assist with taking some of the stress off. And while we now have kids at home for school, it has been a blessing also because it is has helped us see where they could use more help. The extra time has granted us more time for home and yard projects, as well as more exercise time.

So, while this has been challenging, it has also been a beautiful gift. And ultimately, how we choose to perceive what is going on can have a huge affect on how we come out of this. So we are choosing to try and look at all of this in a positive light. We don’t know what our world will look like when we come out the other side. Cut our goal is to do the best we can with the time we have right now and just be grateful.

How has COVID 19 affected your family and how have you been handling it?

March 12, 2018

How to Have an Awesome Family Spring Break on a Budget

I don’t know about you, but we are thrilled that Spring is almost here! But with the new season, comes Spring Break for our kids. Of course, they all want to know where we will be taking them. The kicker is that just because they have the week off, doesn’t mean that we do. Sadly, that is not always how “adult” life works. Even though we won’t be taking them anywhere for Spring Break, we still have some fun plans in store for them. The bonus is that these ideas won’t kill our budget either!

January 25, 2017

7 Ways to Get the Most out of Your Garden This Year

Gardening is not just a fun hobby – it can be a powerful, money-saving, life-saving skill. Back in the pioneer days, if you wanted to eat, you grew a garden. There weren’t mega stores in every town, filled with lush, ~~3-week-old~~ fresh greens to fill your tummy. No, if you wanted food, you had to grow it yourself or work for someone who did. The thing about gardening though, is that learning to do it well doesn’t happen overnight. The blessed skill of gardening, once a must-have skill for every person, is now mostly a lost art. Most people don’t know how to garden – or to preserve the food that grows in the garden. Never fear, though, because today we’re going to share with you how you can get the most out of your garden, even if you’re a beginner gardener. Read more

March 7, 2016

Four Heirloom Tomato Secrets for Maximum Yield

Tips for Maximizing Your Tomato Yield

Happy Monday, my frugal friends! Today we feature a post from our blogging pal Cameron over at Thrift Hounds. Cameron shares on his blog funny and inventive ways to save money and live frugally. And as a bonus, his wife has an awesome food blog. 🙂

There’s probably still a snowstorm or two on the horizon here where I live in Denver before summer arrives, and yet I – like you, maybe – am already already obsessing over how to coax as many pounds of tomatoes as possible out of my beloved tomato plants this year.

Tomatoes, like zucchinis, have the reputation of surprising gardeners with more produce than you thought possible (to the point where you start bribing reluctant coworkers to take them off of your hands).

In fact, most gardeners are ecstatic to get 10 or 15 pounds of fruit out of each plant.

But with some careful planning and maintenance, you can push your plants to produce up two or three times that amount. Read more