by Carrie on April 27, 2009
I’m exploring the idea of
square foot gardening for the two foot wide strip closest to the house. I have a small space to garden in, only about 5 x 6 feet overall and square foot gardening is ideal for small spaces. I am fortunate to have the major benefit that I do have dirt on the ground rather than needing to build or buy my own planters and all my dirt. Square foot gardening is the idea that you designate an area to be used as your square foot garden, break it down in the one square foot sections, and plant a different produce item in each square foot. When you harvest the item out of one section you replace it with something new.
My dirt does need to be improved before I start. What I’m working in is very heavy with clay and I’ve struggled to dig holes deep enough for the plants I have planted so far. I’m planning to go out to my city’s waste center (dump, recycling, and composting all at one location) where they often have fresh compost that can be picked up by residents for free (it’s hard work since you have to shovel it all yourself on both ends but at least you’re not paying for dirt). I filled two 36 gallon trash cans with this dirt and put it in my gardening patch last year but now I’m thinking it was not enough as the dirt level is still several inches below the patio. Adding more dirt won’t just make it look nicer but will give the plants a more nutritious place to grow. I’ll add that dirt around everything and replant anything that seems to get buried to far down. Two more full 36 gallon trash cans should hopefully do it.
by Carrie on April 24, 2009
Here’s a wrap up of what I’m reading lately. To get daily updates on this check the bottom of the page at www.itsfrugalbeinggreen.com.
Finance
Food
by Carrie on March 31, 2009
by Carrie on March 26, 2009
My family had a bit of an alternative and green Christmas this year. Nobody got any new presents. Our gifts were items from my late grandfather’s home that my parents thought we would appreciate. My grandfather was an obsessive compulsive hoarder (worse than anything you’ll ever see on Oprah). We estimate of all his belongings filling 2 houses and 2 20×20 foot storage units, only about 1% of the items will be kept total by all 11 descendants. At this point the houses are completely cleaned out but the storage units have not yet been touched.
This book, the Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book, was published in 1951 (first edition) and probably belonged to my grandmother. It’s identical in format to the famous Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook which is unparalleled gold mine of information related to cooking. I haven’t gotten to delve into this garden book much yet but I hope to learn a ton about gardening from a 1950s perspective and eventually share my finds with you.
Shared in Show and Tell Friday.
by Carrie on March 19, 2009
This is my garden which is located in a small patch of dirt off the patio of the townhouse I’m renting. Right now I’ve got a lemon tree in the middle, a lavendar to the left, an iris to the right, and a bougainvillea that I hope will eventually take over the fence.
I was recently struck by a quote in the March 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living:
“Like most self-taught gardeners starting out, I was uptight. I thought small. Skinny flower beds. Little blobs of annuals – two of these, a couple of those – lost in mulch.”
That pretty much describes my garden – lost in mulch. To remedy this situation, I ordered 4 more lavender to fill in around and behind the lemon tree. I picked lavender because it doesnt need much water and here in California we’re experiencing a pretty severe drought. I’ve been seeing deals from Spring Hill Nurseries posted on a variety of blogs I read so I checked it out and estimate that the prices after shipping and whatever online deal they are currently running are about half what I’d pay at OSH or Lowes. I ordered two each of their pink and blue lavenders and paid $11.91 including shipping. I’m now anxiously awaiting their arrival so that my garden can take the next step towards lush.
It’s also worth noting that this month’s episodes of the Martha Stewart video podcast (free on iTunes) are all gardening related.
