Jabs family garden plans 2010
You may remember that we fancy ourselves amateur gardeners, and while we never grow a lot, we do like to grow at least some of the things we love to eat. When you grow your own… you know how it was grown, how it was fertilized, and where it comes from – and we love that. We also rather enjoy paying $2.00 for a plant that grows to produce 10x its cost in delicious bounty, and we love walking 30 feet to get it… we think it’s a darn good ROI.
This week we weeded the garden and readied the homemade organic fertilizer from our diy vermicompost bin. Now all we have left to do is plant, which will only take about an hour. In the photo you can see our new plants on the left, both our garden beds in the middle (with the herbs already present in the small bed,) and our rain barrel on the right.
One other thing worth mentioning is that our Thyme and Sage plants are apparently perennial… we did not know that and seeing them come up on their own was a pleasant surprise. Another thing that came up on it own was the Cilantro from the Coriander seeds I planted last summer. I had forgotten about them because they never came up last year, but they sprouted all over the place so far this year. Cool stuff.
This year we have:
- Sage
- Cilantro
- Thyme
- Basil
- Tomato (Rutgers, Primtimes, and Sungold cherries)
- Zucchini
- Lettuce (Green leaf and Oak leaf)
- Cayenne Peppers
Although we are yet undecided, we may supplement what we are growing with a local CSA membership. Either way, we cannot wait to taste our homegrown veggies, and cannot wait to break in our pressure canner to preserve whatever we cannot eat or turn into salsa. What about you, are you growing a garden this year?
Link rally for this week
- Saving Money Tip: Open Source Software by Jeff
- Buying a House? Is it an investment or a home? by Craig Ford
- Roth IRA Rules and Information by Mike Piper
- How to Become a Financial Planner by Wealth Pilgrim
- The Good News and Bad News of Recessionary Wages by Coupon Sherpa
- YNAB iPhone Review by Paul @ FiscalGeek
- Facing Our Financial Problems by Gary Foreman
- Credit Card Limit: Are You Getting What You Deserve? by PT
- Traditional And Roth IRA Contribution Limits And Phase Outs by Money Smarts
- Paying For Self-Employed Health Insurance by Jeff Rose, CFP®
- Life Insurance Comparison by Consumer Boomer
- Bloggers and Their Relationship with Money by The Financial Blogger
- Survival Guide to Recession by Panda Mike
- How to Overcome Pitfalls of Zero Based Budget Planning Process by Wealth Pilgrim
- How College Graduates Should Build Credit by PT
- Things To Know About Roth IRA Rules For 2010 by Money Smarts
- Term Life Insurance Rates by Jeff Rose, CFP®
- Things that broke people do by FinancialBondage.org
We have tomatoes… looking forward to those.
The post about your garden is making me hungry. Thanks for the link mention Matt.
Oh, I LOVE the Sungold tomatoes! I don’t grow them, as I get too many to eat fresh and can’t give them away fast enough – they are great producers.
My wife and I got a $15 planter box about a month ago full of basil, oregano, chives, parsley, sage and rosemary. I can’t believe how much better these fresh herbs taste than store bought herbs. I thing I have noticed, however. The parsley and basil need watering almost daily. Enjoy fresh healthy eating!
I’ve also recently started an organic garden here in South Africa. We’re growing tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, as well as a few herbs. There is nothing better than being able to consume fresh produce, knowing that it contains no pesticides and that it hasn’t been genetically modified in any way.
Tomatoes for eating out of hand and making into sauce. (Our boys love pasta). Basil for pesto. Green beans for eating and freezing. A couple sweet pepper plants. Marigolds to keep the bugs at bay. Mint for tea. And a nice big rhubarb plant for pie. The raspberry bushes should be ready next year. So we’re looking forward, as you are, to the real thing. Ahhhhhh.
We’ll be attempting for the first time to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil. Here in Houston, the basil will grow 9-10 months of the year.
I would have had to get some arugala in there too! I am jealous because I have the worst black thumb of all time and I am unable to garden. I am sure the fact I live in a condo without a yard hampers me as well…
Hi Kate,
If I can do it, you can too. (They said it couldn’t be done, but I’ve actually killed aloe.) Try to grab Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening”. through interlibrary loan. It’s an encouragement for us brown thumbs. You might try a small container garden and see how that goes. Lettuce grows pretty fast. Happy salads to you.
My mom and I support a local CSA and love it! Other than that, I’m doing my first year of gardening ever. I planted tomatoes, basil and carrots. We’ll see how successful I am…
I loooooveeee cilantro. I am ALWAYS buying it. Perhaps I should grow my own as well!
We live in an apartment so some lettuce in a pot is our tester this year. I’ll definitely be gardening when I get some more land to my name.
Good luck this summer!
Austin @ Foreigner’s Finances
I agree! I love growing my own tomatoes and herbs. It’s been so hot here in Texas the past few years that it’s been hard to keep my garden going, but I’m pretty successful with growing tomatoes and herbs in pots on our deck.
Thanks for the link love! Garden is looking awesome!
Went a little overboard on garden this year but having tons of fun. The Kids are enjoying too. Can’t wait to start harvesting.