Grow Your Own: Gardening For Food and Fun

Garden Tips

Land today is becoming increasingly scare and gardens that once were used to grow beautiful flowers and vegetables are now being tilled to grow food. Families are spending what little time and energy they have to become frugal, save money and spend quality time together.

There are many ways to use gardens. Flower gardens can be created to enhance the curb appeal of homes. Textures and varieties of plants such as fuzzy, speckled and colored plants exist on the planet to be adored and admired. Hummingbirds and butterflies are welcoming to wildlife by fragrant flower gardens.

People create gardens for different purposes. You don’t need several acres to create a vegetable garden. A small plot of land big enough to grow food for your entire family can be done in a relatively compact space. Fresh plucked green beans or heads of lettuce grown by your own hands taste so much fresher from a garden!

Home gardening is a healthy alternative to store-bought produce since the nutrients are still intact as the vegetables haven’t been processed. Once you bite into them you can taste the difference. Besides being healthier, you’ll be frugal and save money! Carrots, squash, tomatoes and radishes will be one less thing to add to your already lengthy grocery list.

Fruit can be expensive to buy in a grocery store and should be another gardening option to consider. Pop in the garden whenever you get a craving for something sweet and pick a ripe, juicy watermelon or cantaloupe. You’ll be able to taste the sweetness as it was intended to be enjoyed! Use as a healthy alternative to candy, cookies or cakes for yourself or the kids.

Involve the whole family in your gardening efforts. I still can remember our home grown garden in summer deep at the end of my backyard. Show the kids how to plant seeds, clear weeds and tell if fruits and vegetables are ripe. Let them carry a little watering can. Pick a fresh apple or pear right from your own tree. Take the little ones out every day or to pick from the garden. Toddlers love pulling food from the garden. Moomette loves clogs & helping out with her small garden tools!

Remember there’s alternatives even if you don’t have a lot of land to stake a garden. Many towns and cities are now making community garden plots available. Container gardens and large planters accommodate a fairly good variety of fruits and vegetables. It’s now possible to grow tomatoes upside down in a container and it’s done all the time in urban areas where green space is limited!

Hit up a local tag sale or garage sale and find a variety of old or vintage cups and attractive ceramic pots to create fruit and vegetable planter container gardens.

To avoid sward fruit getting root-bound plant in larger pots.

If you enjoy cooking look for recipes that feature fresh looking herbs, such as fennel, and grow your own in small pots set on your windowsill. Let the kids go around and pluck the ripe ones when it’s time to harvest. Use an organic pesticide treatment to ensure your food is chemical-free and safe to eat.

The good earth can save families a lot of money and encourage frugal spending habits. Plan ahead and plant seed pots early as seedlings still grow tasty vegetables and beautiful flowers and are less expensive than bulbs. Use the bountiful fruits from your harvest to make creative gift baskets!

Investigate creating a root cellar like many had in the olden days. It’s even possible to have one if you’re a city dweller. Fruits and veggies can be canned and set aside for the colder winter months and then be prepared for later eating.

Teaching your children to garden is an invaluable hobby and life skill!

 

Moomette’s Mama Mentor is hosting a Giveaway! For a chance to win one New, sealed Martha’s Spring Gardening DVD! Over 6 hours of Martha Stewart‘s best garden tips on 2 discs!

Main Rule: (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
Just visit my new blog, Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes and leave a comment about which recipe you liked best and which types of recipes you’d like to to have me add quickly!

 

Now for extra entries (each task will get you 1 extra entry):

~One Extra Entry: Subscribe to my blog through my Feedblitz link (on the top of my left column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment)

~One Extra Entry: Add my banner button to your sidebar or add me to your blogroll, and come back here and leave the link (I will be checking)

~One Extra Entry: Blog about the contest on your blog linking to my blog and the site

~One Extra Entry: Favorite Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment (the link is on my left column if you scroll down) or both.

~ One Extra Entry: Follow Me on Twitter and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.

~One Extra Entry: Tweet about this contest, and come back to this post and leave the URL link to the Tweet so I can check.

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until May12 at approximately 11:00 pm.

Winners are chosen by Random.Org, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

*Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

*Include your email if it’s not enabled.
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