Questions about the economy and gardening

[Beekissed]

I know what I won't be doing this next garden season! I won't be buying any bedding plants....talk about expensive! They had raised so much since the last time I had a big garden that I have determined to grow my own this year.

I bought some inexpensive flourescent lights and am going to construct a grow light stand and keep it in my bedroom...warmest place in the house!

I will be planting more plants that people want to buy this year and not just what I eat. Last year folks asked if they could buy beans and I had barely planted any!

 

[shareneh]

Definately going to plant a big garden this year, starting out plants in the basement if possible. I want to can and freeze as much as possible.

 

[me&thegals]

I definitely got more from my garden this year than any other, and I have to say the niggling worries about the economy kept me hard at work not letting anything go to waste.

I will be growing at least as big as last year. It's fun to try to get more efficient each year. I think I will try growing my squash and pumpkins amonst the corn.

It's also a game for me to see how cheaply I can do it all. I start my seedlings under grow lights in the basement by the woodstove (warm!) in the bottom 2/3 of an egg shell. I've gotten into the habit of cracking just the tops off my eggs and then storing the shells in 18-count egg cartons. Then, I fill them with potting soil, tap the seeds in, water them good and cover them with Saran wrap or other clear plastic. Works great! Nearly free

Also use woodstove ash for fertilizer and newspaper (not the ads) for mulching around plants and in the aisles.

 

[Beekissed]

Great idea about the eggshells!!! I'll have to explore that....

Did you see that? Ziiiiippppppppppppppppppppppppppp! Another idea stolen! Call me the SS thief, as no idea is really safe around me!

 

[me&thegals]

Dontcha love it?!? I steal ideas right and left here, too. Isn't that the point?

 

[MorelCabin]

I did all the leg work for a bigger garden this past summer...and it will need to be finished this spring then planted. I will be using the smaller garden that I had for potatoes and root vegies...I also planted two apple trees last summer, and this year I want to add pears as well.

 

[prairiegirl]

Our garden seems to grow in size every year. We've spent the last 2 years trying to revive the fruit trees. We were blessed with many good apples last year. Plums were plentiful, too. Time will tell for the other fruit trees.

This was our second year for potatoes. We'll try to expand the potato patch for 2009. Each year I plant beets, but just can't seem to grow a good crop. The cows enjoyed them this year.

As for others starting new gardens, I don't know of anyone. They all tell us that it's too much work. That it is, but the results are awesome. And, if one if fortunate enough to have extra bounty to preserve for the winter, even more of an incentive to grow a garden.

 

[Homesteadmom]

And see I have 2 groups that have asked me to give a workshop on gardening in Jan/Feb to help others get started in gardening around here. The one group I am doing in Jan is called Frugal Mamas, we meet once a month to share frugal living ideas. the women in the group found out I garden & they want info to start their own next year. The other is our homeschool group & I think I am setting that one up in Feb.

 

[2dream]

From the looks of the responses here seems it is mixed on the NEW starts. Could be because seems that different parts of the country are affected differently with all this slow down in the economy. Where I live I have not seen much change. Just a little slow, but then it gets slow this time of year anyway because there is so much construction type work. And this is our very rainy season. Most people plan for a slow Nov, Dec, Jan. and are prepared for this time. We will probably see more changes around Feb when things should pick up and don't.

 

[reinbeau]

It's tough to have a large garden when you're working your butt off out there trying to bring in money, and I'm sure that's why there aren't more gardens being started. Unfortunately now more people will have time on their hands (laid off) but perhaps won't have enough cash to buy seeds, which are cheap enough, but when you don't have an income, nothing that costs is cheap enough :/