I was interviewed on the topic of “Tips for Gardening on the Cheap!” which will be free to listen to on May 21st, 2012 at 5:00pm (Eastern) at the Health on a Budget Summit.  If you can’t make it at that time there are also some other great topics available at other times throughout the week. 

If you are like me and like to listen to these type of talks at your leisure you can also sign up to download the talk to listen when ever you want starting at $30.

In my area today was the first day for our local farmers market.  As you can  see from the picture above I picked up some asparagus, spinach, lettuce and a few yams.  Well I also picked up some kettle corn for the kids and some fresh flowers for my wife…I did pass on some leeks, Swiss chard, bak choy (plenty growing in my garden) as well as radishes and rutabaga which I do not personally care for.

Now before you head out to your local farmers market you might find the selection somewhat limited compared to your local grocery store, so don’t expect to see raspberries or tomatoes during these first week (unless you live much more south than me)  What you will find is great local organic produce with the only thing fresher is picking them out of your own garden.

If I have you sold on running down to your local farmers market but no idea where to find it, just go here and enter your zip code to see where your closest farmers market is, you may also notice as I did there are also some pretty close farmers markets open during the weekdays which I may need to visit to get my fix of fresh veggies in the middle of the week.

Ecological garden designers often look to the native plant communities in their region to see which plants grow together naturally, in order to help determine suitable plant combinations for their designs.

This is because many plants that grow together actually benefit each other. It’s an excellent strategy, and yet plants need not have evolved together in order to get these benefits…

What Is Companion Planting?

Companion planting involves pairing plants that work well together. Unlike the plant communities outlined above, however, these plants may come from different regions. Popular examples in the vegetable garden are green beans and strawberries, carrots and tomatoes, and lettuce and spinach.

Sometimes the plants simply work well together because they take up different areas above or below the soil. Sometimes one plant deters a predator of the other plant. In the above examples, the plants tend to just grow better when planted near each other.

Often, the benefits realized are not nearly as grand as some gardening books indicate, but usually, no harm is done.

And yet companion planting is only the first step…

What Is A Polyculture?

A polyculture goes even further. While a monoculture is large swaths of just one plant, and companion planting often refers to planting 2 species together, a polyculture involves planting many species together to take advantage of various niches in the garden, much the way nature fosters this diversity:

-Some will grow tall and provide shade, while others hug the ground.

-Some are ready for harvest early, while others take longer, even within the same food group, such as lettuces or tomatoes.

-Some attract beneficial insects, while others repel plant predators.

-Some provide nitrogen for the soil, while others happily gobble it up.

Permaculture has embraced the polyculture philosophy by using integrated, multi-level plantings of dozens of species to take advantage of all the various opportunities in the garden. And sometimes it’s useful to create a "guild", where a central "important" plant such as a fruit tree is surrounded by a group of plants that benefit the tree.

Summary

So not only can plants get along with each other, but they can provide for each other. While cover cropping during the low season is a great way to protect and improve the soil, ornamental and food gardens can also be interplanted throughout the entire year with plants that provide more benefits than just being beautiful or just producing food.

I don’t do straight, monoculture rows in my garden anymore. Each bed may have 20 plants all mingling together, perhaps 15 food plants and 5 beneficials such as yarrow, echinacea, chamomile, bee balm, clover or any number of others.

I may not get as big of a harvest from each food plant, but my overall yields are definitely bigger and it’s been obvious that the health of my plants has improved after a few seasons of finding out what works.

If you’re used to straight rows, you may want to take one bed this year and experiment with more interplanting. It’s often best to just experiment with many plants and then see what works in your soil and climate.

Phil Nauta is a SOUL Certified Organic Land Care Professional and author of the book ‘Building Soils Naturally’, to be released by Acres U.S.A. this spring. He taught for Gaia College and operated successful organic landscaping and organic fertilizer businesses prior to launching SmilingGardener.com to teach innovative organic gardening and vegetable gardening methods.

I am always looking for ways to enable myself to grow more in my small suburban yard.  One technique to do this is using the maximum vertical space to your advantage.  Whether this is growing your tomatoes and cucumbers up a trellis or growing some tomatoes from hanging upside down planters the more you successfully make use of this space the higher yields you can achieve.

One part of my yard has a great location which southern facing but do to concrete supported fence posts I can not grow anything there until now.  With my homemade vertical planter I can grow a variety of small root vegetables such as lettuce, herbs, cherry tomatoes, flowers, etc.

Step #1: Cut to size.  Depending on the soil needs of the plants you are growing cut off the tops using a utility knife or a good pair of scissors/kitchen shears.  Cut just a bit lower on one side of the “planter” to provide a little more room for the next step and give the plant a natural way to hang over the side of the planter.

Step #2: Drill holes in top two caps.  Not much else to describe here…this is done to restrict the flow of water to the planters below this one and prevent erosion of dirt out of the planters due to too high of water flow.

Step #3: Attach bottles. Pick any scrap piece of plywood you have around and attach the bottles with a couple of small screws.  You can be as creative as you want on this one.  A couple things to keep in mind, you want the water to flow between the planters to save yourself some time when watering these (you only have to water the top one)  You also want to thing about how the plants may mature and couple block the sun from some of the plants below it, so staggering directions can help with this.

Step #4: Fill with dirt.  Add some good potting soil (I went with my favorite coconut coil) and water from top to ensure water drips as expected.  If you aim is off you can always add another screw (or adjust) to get everything lined up.

Below is a video of this vertical planter in action.

I like to grow and eat potatoes, the problem is they can easily take over a plot of land and more than likely you will be growing potatoes in the same spot for a few years (not very good crop rotation) when one or two stray spuds don’t get harvested and a plant pops up the next year.

One great solution to this problem is a potato tower, this is a structure that keeps your potato plant and potatoes contained to an upright structure which can consist of many materials. 

Recycled Tires

Fencing

Wood

I decided to go with the classic approach and build mine out of wood.  I took four pieces of 1”X1” pine and cut to approximately 2.5 foot lengths.  Side note: Just for the record I did not use tape measure for the construction of this potato tower.  I then took two lengths of untreated/unstained cedar fencing and cut them in equal pieces. 

Added a couple of screws to attach the cedar to the pine and kept doing this until I had a really cool upside down table without a top.  Now you could pull out a level/square and pretty confident this will not be plum or true in any way…but it really doesn’t matter just holding some dirt and potatoes.

As for the location I found this great spot which grows weeds very well and not much of anything else.

After some minimal weeding and an laying down a layer of weed blocking fabric I plopped down my structure and added a few inches of rich compost.

To give the potatoes a head start I added a couple cups of bone meal, mixed well and added nine potatoes and topped with a few more inches of compost.

Now here is where the tower part comes from, as the potatoes greenery grows more than 3 inches above the surface you screw in some more cedar fencing to increase the height nearly cover with compost and repeat until you are tire of doing this.  The theory is that your plants will grow potatoes over this entire height giving you many pounds of potatoes.

Important Tip:  Any early setting variety of potato will produce all its potatoes at once so you will only get potatoes on the bottom six inches or so of your potato tower.  So this technique only makes sense for later setting potatoes, here are a few to consider:

• Gourmet Fingerling Potato
• All Blue Potato
• Red Pontiac Potato
• Russet Potato
• German Butterball Golden Potato

UPDATE #1 (4/1/2012): Based on many of the comments on the mixed results of the success rate of this technique, I have decided to do a side by side N=1 experiment to see how my yields compare with 18 inches of soil versus 12 inches of soil using the same size and construction of a potato tower.

It seems like every year there is something I decide I want to grow in my garden only to discover I am a couple months late to get started.  In the past season this was brussel sprouts, I had grand visions of growing them this winter only to discover I should have started the seeds back in March…

I got a great idea when I was planning this years garden in GrowVeg where I simply created a plot and just dropped in each vegetable that I typically eat and enjoy regardless is I have grown them in the past or plan to in the future. 

This way when the time comes when I should be planting these I will see this on the chart I printed out and get a reminder email in my mailbox from GrowVeg I can make this impulse decision to get seeds and start these plants at a time where I can still be successful.

Just by doing this exercise I have decided to consider fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnips, and sweet potatoes.  Sure many of these may result in utter failures in my cold damp area but at least I can make sure I can start at the right time to give them a fighting chance.

I came across Sprout Robot in the past week, you simply create an account and provide your zip code and it will give you a complete calendar of planting dates as well as follow ups when to expect sprouts to form, when to bring out, harvest etc.

When a new event is coming up you will get an email similar to the one below letting you know what is new to plant that week. 

When you connect to the site you then can “Check-In” and check off the tasks you have completed which get updated with next event for that plant.

They also have an option where they will even send out organic seeds just in time for planting in your area starting at $19.99 a year, though personally I have plenty of seeds saved for at a couple of years in my refrigerator.

I like to add some green onions to my omelets in the morning, though it is not too convenient to pick them out in the winter garden when it is raining or snowing on these cold mornings.  I decided to pick a couple plants the day before and placed them in water to last a little longer.

To my surprise not only did the onions last longer they actually kept growing.  So I just cut off what I need and more is waiting for me after a few days.  All I do is changes the water every few days and enjoy my seemingly endless supply of green onions (ok…will keep growing until the bulb runs out of energy…)

There is a common misconception that you need to have a huge sprawling garden to be able to grow vegetables, but that is simply not true. Even the smallest of gardens can grow sumptuous vegetables.  By utilizing the space you have available you can grow a wide variety of climbing vegetables. Whether you have a gazebo, a trellis or just an outside wall you can plant some truly succulent vegetables, which will produce not only food, but also some amazing flowers too.

Runner beans are a great plant to start with; all they need is sunshine and fertile soil. They also produce flowers, which are certainly a welcome addition to any garden. For runner beans you need to either make a wigwam, lashed together with string at the top, or create a parallel row of canes, which are firmly secured to a horizontal cane running along the top. The best time to plant Runner Beans is a week before the last frost; these plants are originally from South America so die out every year after the frost. Runner beans need to be watered particularly heavily, but twice a week in dry weather.

Japanese cucumbers, which will reach several feet, are a more demanding vegetable, and require different types of fertilizer at different times of the development, although all the hard work is certainly worth it, especially when you get to taste your produce. Although not widely known, several of the smaller pumpkin species, including trailing pumpkins, can be grown vertically. These are easy to grow and even easier to cook and enjoy! Marrows will also clamber over fences, or up trellises. All you need to do is prepare the soil well, with lots of fertilizer.

There are hundreds of things that you can grow up a trellis over a wall and even up a gazebo, so this spring make the most out of the space you have!

Most of the gardeners love to grow carrots because of the low-maintenance efforts. However, you need to pay some attention one week after sowing the seeds. Carrots need some specific soil conditions in order to be healthy and tasteful. Therefore, before sowing the seeds and also after the seed germination, you need to check the soil to see if it is proper for the healthy growth of the plant. A light sandy soil with lots of potassium and some amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and other micronutrients works best of carrots. So, a soil test is necessary before you plant your carrots, so that you can add the nutrients that are deficient in the soil. Some of the fertilizers that are most suitable for carrots are:

Potash

Potash is a fertilizer that provides potassium. Carrots need a lot of potassium for their growth. If your soil is deficient in potassium, you need to add potash in it. Potassium helps carrot plants in their photosynthesis, water as well as nutrient transport and also plant cooling. Deficiency of potassium can make the leaves to curl and their margins will have a burnt look. Stems also become abnormally short and stunted. Alkaline soil, however, does not require a lot of potassium, but if you have an acidic soil, add potash to make it alkaline before you sow the carrot seeds.

Kelp

Kelp enriches the soil with micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium and boron. These are required by the plant for chlorophyll production. If your soil has a micronutrient deficiency, you need to add kelp. Calcium deficiency can cause stems to collapse and leaves to wither off. Less magnesium can lead to yellowing of the leaves. Carrots with boron deficiency have leaves that have a rosette pattern and they usually turn orange when they grow old. So, to help your carrot plants to grow better, nourish the soil with kelp. Avoid overuse of this fertilizer, as it causes the carrots to become fibrous.

NPK fertilizers

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the three main macronutrients that are required by the carrot plants. Before sowing your seeds, make sure that your soil has a proper percentage of these macronutrients. These nutrients help in photosynthesis, proper root and leaf formation and the overall development of the plant. Their deficiency can lead to pale leaves and stunted plants that can die soon. NPK fertilizers release all the three nutrients and make it suitable for the growth of carrots. This fertilizer can be added to the soil 30 days after the germination of the seeds. For carrot plants, the amount of nitrogen in the fertilizer should be less than potassium and phosphorus. NPK fertilizer with 1-2-2 label can be perfect. Carrot is a root plant and too much of nitrogen can enhance the growth of leaves and make the carrots hairy and cracked. However, take care not to even overuse phosphorus, as it leads to water pollution.

Therefore, before planting carrots, ensure that your soil has all the nutrients required for the proper growth of the plant. If there is a deficiency, add fertilizers. With little care, you can enjoy tasty, healthy and nutritious homegrown carrots, which are far better than the carrots you find in the market. Always avoid over-fertilization, as this might ruin the flavor of the carrots. Remember to water your plants properly after you add fertilizers.

About The Author: Alia is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on luxury and Designer Rugs. Beside this she is very particular about her fitness and exercise daily to stay in shape. She frequently writes articles related to plastic pollution for her blog Ecofriend.

Saturday we had a rare occurrence here in the Pacific Northwest, this large ball of warm gas, which in some areas they refer to as the sun made an appearance.  It raised the temperature so much I had to take the cover off my winter garden so I decided to do a little weeding and take some pictures.

The Chinese cabbage (bok choy) is looking great and I need to remember to cook with it shortly.

The kale and Swiss chard is also growing strong…think I might have some cooked greens in my future.

The parsley and onions needed a little cleaning up but still nice and green.

The garlic bulbs planted last fall are now starting to emerge with some stray cilantro in gabs between them.

The arugula is still alive but a little mangled from some of the snow that the hoop cover did not keep entirely off.  For the beginning of February the garden looks the most alive it has ever been this time of year.

Not exactly time to harvest but nice to see a little life in my garden after our snow has melted away…

Many people love bird watching. It is the favorite pastime of many gardeners too. For drawing the birds to the garden, you need to use the feeders. Instead of buying and storing the feeders every season, you can as well consider turning a special part of your garden exclusively for attracting birds. If the feeders are able to sprout, you can use them for growing the plants. Once the plants grow and mature, the birds can eat the seeds from the plants directly. Apart from that, you can pick the best seeds and store them away for the next season. If this interests you, here is how to grow bird seed.

1. Find a special spot

If you have a large garden, you can make use of the space effectively. Divide it into many parts. One special spot can be left for the birdseeds. The first thing to do is to find the best spot in your garden to attract the birds. The best thing is to consider an area away from your main garden. The birds will not disturb your garden and other useful items there.

2. Choose a good mixture of seeds

Choose a good mixture of seeds that can produce a wide variety of flowers. This can add a lot of color to the area and attract a lot of different types of birds. When the plants grow and produce different kinds of plants and flowers, various birds come to your garden automatically. In order to make the seeds grow well, you have to take the necessary steps.

3. Growing the plants

The soil should be well suited for growing the type of garden and plants you are looking for. First, begin with loosening the soil with a garden hoe. This will make it easy for planting the seeds. When the soil is ready, take a handful of seeds and scatter them on the loosened soil. Rake some topsoil over the scattered seeds. Sprinkle some water lightly over the topsoil to provide enough moisture for the sprouting.

4. Harvest the seeds

After the plants grow well, they start producing the seeds. Harvest these seeds at the end of the season. Store them properly in an airtight container. They can be used for feeding the birds during the winter season. Or, you can also leave them on the plants so that the birds eat them directly from the plants.

The best thing about these plants is that they will produce different kinds of colorful flowers before producing the seeds. So you will be able to enjoy different kinds of flowers and plants in your garden. At the same time, you can get a large amount of seeds for the next season. This is one of the best ways to produce healthy bird seeds in your own garden without spending money too often. Once you get used to the procedures, it will be easy to maintain the garden and follow the different procedures for taking care of the things. Choose an ideal location in your garden and spend some time with the birds daily. Children can also learn a lot of things from your garden.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger and writer. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she loves gardening in free time. She recently bought a book on Japanese Garden. These days she is busy in writing an article on patio umbrellas.

Sauerkraut is not only a tasty condiment to add to a hot dog or various German dishes but also is loaded with tons of beneficial bacteria which can help enhance your gut flora to make you more regular but also aid in allowing your body to absorb more nutrients from the foods you eat leading to higher satiety.  So in simple terms sauerkraut can actually help you lose weight.

Now before you head off to the grocery store to buy yourself a tub of sauerkraut, if it comes in a jar most likely it has been cooked killing all the beneficial bacteria…assuming it was actually fermented to begin with.  Some sauerkraut is sold as basically cabbage soaked in vinegar, though it may taste similar it does not have the added health benefits.  Though you probably can find some fresh sauerkraut at a specialty store in your area it is actually very easy to make with only two ingredients required.

Step 1: Slice the cabbage.  Start with with 2 heads of cabbage (for pink sauerkraut like mine above use equal amounts of red and green cabbage) and cut into each one into quarters.  Remove the hearts (the non leafy part in the middle) and either discard or even better set aside to create some tasty pickled cabbage hearts.  Use a nice big/sharp knife and slice the cabbage as thin as you can.  If you have a cabbage shredder or mandoline slicer go ahead and take advantage of these.  If you find any pieces that seem a little large go ahead and give them an extra chop.

Step 2: Layer with salt.  Portion out 3 tablespoons of non-iodized salt (kosher, pickling, or sea salt are great choices) this is because iodine many times is used to kill bacteria in water and in the case we want to keep those little buggers alive and kicking.  Take a couple handfuls of sliced cabbaged and lay as a layer into a kraut pot, food grade plastic bucket, or any other non-reactive container that will easily hold your pile of cabbage.  Over each layer apply a sprinkling of salt and repeat until all of your cabbage and salt are in your container.

Step 3: Mash the cabbage.  Now there are official tools for this job but any sort of blunt object will do.  Some ideas (end of a baseball bat, mason jar, large piece of dowel, you get the idea)  All you do is beat the crap out of the cabbage to help get the water to begin leaching out.  At the end of the process you should have enough liquid to cover the cabbage.  If you do not have enough let it sit for up to 24 hours and see if the salt draws some remaining water out of the cabbage.  If you still do not have enough water to cover add some distilled water (tap water has chlorine and will kill our bacteria friends) along with 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt for each cut of water.

Step 4:  Drown the cabbage.  Now it is time for some fermentation, this chemical process needs to be completed in an environment free from oxygen otherwise again out little friends will bite the bullet.  Cabbage floats in water so we need to drown the stuff, this is pretty easy by taking an object approximately the diameter of your container and weight it down with container filled with water for example.  Cover this with plastic grocery bag, secure with rubber bands or string in you have fruit fry problems in your area.

Step 5: Let the fermentation process do its thing.  After about a week the liquid will change from smelling like the salty ocean to more like vinegar.  At this point you can eat some, but for the full benefits and bolder taste give it 3-4 weeks to fully ferment.

Once your batch is done you can store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months, if you find yourself going through the stuff well before its 6 month time is up you can scale up your quantities or maybe even invest in an official German Sauerkraut Pot which is a little expensive for me, but would look better than the bucket sitting on my counter with a plastic grocery bag cover and comes with a ceramic weight that fits perfectly to the diameter of the kraut pot…

Before you put those Christmas lights away into storage you may want to keep a couple strings (non-LED) set aside to use for heating a hoop house.  These little lights can help boost the temperature 5-10 degrees inside your enclosure, while this will not allow you to grow tomatoes and peppers during the wintertime.  This may be enough to allow you to keep a winter garden for the whole winter and/or provide just enough warmth to bring out your spring seedlings a couple weeks earlier.

Had an abundance of turkey from Thanksgiving and plenty of veggies in my winter garden so figured a nice healthy omelet for dinner might help out the recovery from the nutrient lacking foods I ate the day before.

Specifically I used Kale, spinach, green onions, and bok choy.  You can see the recipe I used for this veggie and turkey omelet here.

As we find ourselves in the throes of the fall and winter holiday season, food becomes a popular conversation starter. For some reason, though, winter vegetables are often treated with less creativity than their spring and summer counterparts. To spice up your diet while keeping it cheap and healthy, take a gander at the five winter veggies below and use them to wow your family and friends.

Kale

I’ve tried kale a few different ways now, and I think the trick with eating these greens is in their pairing and preparation. I, for example, love using kale in omelets, but I don’t add them in with the rest of the ingredients (onions, mushrooms, cheese, etc.). Instead, I wait until everything is nearly cooked, and then I throw in some cold and crisp kale. After a couple of minutes, the meal will be done, but the kale will retain its fresh properties, offsetting the rest of the ingredients and making for a more interesting and wide-ranging experience for your taste buds.

Another creative way to use kale is to make your own miso soup, chock full of these greens. Grab some brown rice paste from the supermarket and add it to your own custom-made lineup of vegetables and tofu–just don’t forget that kale! Even for the soup, I’ll hold off on putting the kale in the water too soon. Most restaurants will serve their greens fully-cooked and withered, but the soup (like the omelet) has more textural complexity if the ingredients aren’t all softened and sapped of some crucial nutrients.

If you’re going to maintain your own winter garden, plant some Winter Red or Wintebor kale in July or August, and then wait for those cabbage-like goods to crest.

Beets

Beets just might be my favorite winter vegetable/root. It’s also the main ingredient in my favorite salad, which is a twist on the otherwise run-of-the-mill beet salad. My brother’s girlfriend makes a salad that combines red and golden beets (3 red, 2 golden) with ¼ cup minced shallot, and some lamb’s lettuce. For the true kicker, she adds a few crumbles of goat cheese and a handful of pistachios to the mix.

If you plant some delicious Winterkeeper or Albina Verduna beet seeds in July, you’ll have those roots ready to go for your fall and winter harvest. In addition, the beet will re-sprout in the spring, offering some full, healthy leaves. Being able to harvest multiple times for the same food means you can eat with an improved sense of health and frugality. But whether you’re planting beets at home, or are getting your winter’s share at a natural market, be sure to try your hand at a beet salad.

Squash

Squash is the simple one of the bunch. Go ahead and make soup with it, or attempt to make a world-class plate of spaghetti. Even a casserole will suffice as a sure-fire crowd pleaser. But in my mind, there’s no better remedy for a long day at the office than a whole butternut squash emerging from the oven. Your whole house will feel warm and smell of the harvest. The flesh should be nice and soft, and easy to scoop out with spoon or fork. I usually just put some butter on the warmed flesh, but you might want to try adding some brown sugar to the mix if you’re feeling especially daring. Butternut squash is filling but cheap and simple to prepare, and winter just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Mustard

Mustard leaves aren’t as commonly thought of as kale, spinach, collards or arugula. But the leaves of mustard are peppery in taste, and are great for making exotic dishes. I’m happy snacking on them as raw greens, when they still taste like spinach or radish roots, and if I cook them, I usually just sprinkle on some lemon juice and garlic. If you want to replace the lemon juice, try a bowl of mustard leaves with sesame oil and rice. Mixing and matching is the name of the game for mustard greens, and experimentation will allow them to be your most versatile winter food.

If you’re planting mustard at home, press those seeds anytime from August to the middle of October, when the brunt of summer heat has passed. After you’re done collecting the leaves, let the plant go to seed for a secondary harvest later on.

Chives

Chives are my wild card choice for this list. You won’t be able to harvest the chive stalks in winter, or even be to grow them easily in the colder seasons and climates. However, if you plant them under a cloche, or germinate them indoors before moving them outside as the weather breaks and warms, then you’ll have my absolute favorite green ready for a spring harvest. When I was a child, I used to eat chives straight from my uncle’s garden. They’re great for garnish on baked potatoes, and also make for an excellent addition to any soup stock or broth. Whereas most of the other foods on this list are featured as main ingredients, chives are sure to act as foils for other foods they mingle with, and will amplify a dish’s whole overall flavor. This might not be a food that’s in season during the winter months, but it will make for a great winter project, and will ensure that the next season kicks off the right way.

Whether you’re maintaining your own winter garden, or are just plucking the goods from local markets, the 5 foods above will make your winter cuisine more complex in flavor and your winter preparations more creative and enjoyable. Best of all, each item is relatively cheap and also healthy, which means that you can be frugal with the greens in your wallet, as well.

Adam J.’s appreciation for winter vegetables is surpassed only by his enjoyment of Heirloom Tomatoes. He writes for FrugalDad.com; check out his Amazon coupons & deals blurb or contact him at adam ATT frugaldad DOTT com.

I got my first harvest from my winter garden, I could have given this a couple weeks more but the plants were starting to get crowded.  Not ever cooked Bok Choy I went with the idea that everything is better with bacon and made some Bok Choy with bacon…or maybe could call it Bacon with some Bok Choy.

Not only delicious but given its low calorie count (14 calories per 100g) and being high in Vitamin A/C/K and a good source of folates, calcium, and iron.

I cooked up another pumpkin to make some more puree to last be though the rest of the year.  This time I used silicon liners which made the removal of the frozen pumpkin pucks a piece of cake.

Last year I made a delicious pumpkin pie with some of this puree, this year I decided to be a little more health conscious and used this recipe for a low carb, gluten free pumpkin pie.  Just as delicious, but with almost half the calories and none of the sugar/carb rush/

The weather is starting to get colder (yesterday woke up to 37F) but still in safe ranges for my winter garden which is doing great.  An abundance of Kale and arugula and chard and bok choy are getting pretty close to harvest.  Broccoli is taking its time like it should.

I also planted some chives, onions which I started from seeds several week ago.  I have also planted a bulb worth of garlic to harvest next summer.

Figure 1 – The end of the growing tomatoes year – green unripen tomatoes

If you are wondering how to grow tomatoes so that they have the best chance of turning red you will be interested to know that temperature has a major impact on ripening. If your fruits are too cold they will not turn red. To give your tomatoes the best chance of ripening properly you should ensure your tomato plants are maintained at the correct temperature throughout the entire growing process. Tomato seeds need a temperature between 18°C and 22°C (68°F to 75°F) to germinate and tomato plants won’t survive below 10°C. It is also important to grow them somewhere where they are exposed to as much natural sunlight as possible to aid photosynthesis.

A Helpful introduction to tomato growing

Many growers make use of seed propagators such as the Greenhouse Sensation Vitopod to ensure their seeds are kept at the optimum temperature for germination. The Vitopod is particularly useful compared to traditional tomato pots in a basic propagator, because it is large enough to be used for hardening-off and protecting young tomato plants from late frosts. The shock of a late frost to a young tomato plant just out of a heated propagator can kill the plant, resulting in you having to start again.

Obviously greenhouses, polytunnels or even a conservatory are the ideal environment in which to keep your tomato plants warm but many people do grow outdoors, just make sure you choose a bright spot and be aware that they will take longer to ripen because of the cooler temperatures.

Even though October can be a particularly bountiful month and with aids such as the self-watering tomato pots such as the hydro grow system you can sometimes harvest fruit through to December providing that the plant is located in a heated location such as a greenhouse. The season is never long enough to ripen every single tomato you grow on the vine. Consequently no matter how particular you are with caring for your tomato plants it is inevitable that if you have produced a bumper crop you will end up with a lot of green fruit. If your vines are groaning with green tomatoes there are a couple of methods you can employ to encourage them to turn red:

One solution commonly advocated in gardening circles is harvesting the green tomatoes and placing them in close proximity to a banana. This works because ripening bananas give off ethylene — an odorless gaseous organic compound which also occurs naturally in tomatoes and catalyzes the ripening process.. Tomatoes produce their own ethylene once they have reached the mature green stage of their development but the process can be speeded-up by placing tomatoes near ripe bananas, the ethylene produced by the bananas stimulates the ripening process normally stimulated by the tomatoes own ethylene, this can be blown away if they are being grown in a windy environment.

How to get green tomatoes to ripen

One way of employing this method is by selecting three or four green or yellow tomatoes and placing them in a box with a banana which is starting to ripen. Ideally the banana should be at the stage where it is still green in places but turning yellow. This process will take one or two weeks so you may have to change the banana at some point. Alternatively you could just place a few tomatoes in a sunny spot near a bunch of bananas. Many growers use apples instead of bananas for this technique due to their abundance in British gardens (unlike bananas)!

Another way of encouraging your green tomatoes to turn red is by placing the fruit in a closed paper bag on its own. This traps the ethylene which the tomato produces itself and accelerates the ripening process. Simply place the fruit in a brown paper bag, folding the top over it twice to seal it. Regularly checking to see if the fruit is ripening is important to ensure that it doesn’t start to rot, especially in a humid environment such as a home.

If you are thinking of growing tomatoes at home the Greenhouse Sensation site has some excellent information about the varieties to grow, how and when to sow tomato seeds.

After making my own pumpkin puree last year, I can’t go back to the old stuff in the cans.  Last year I put the pumpkin puree into individual 1/2 cup plastic containers.  This worked ok but given our full freezer it was pretty common for these hockey pucks to fall out from where they were wedge breaking on the floor (if I was luck enough to get my foot out of the way)

This year I am using a different technique to freeze these to use in pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake (low carb version), pumpkin ice cream, or pumpkin bread this holiday season.  Before you can freeze the pumpkin puree you need to get it from the pumpkin.

Step 1: Clean the pumpkin. Use a little water and scouring pad to remove loose dirt

Step 2: Remove stem and cut pumpkin in half. This will take a little muscle to get through but using a serrated blade should make quick work of this little pumpkin.

Step 3: Scoop out seeds and innards. Using an ice cream scoop scrape out the seeds and the stringy innards, you don’t have to get this completely clean as you can see below. I also decided to save a few seeds with hopes to grow my own sugar pumpkins next year using the seed saving techniques I have wrote about last year.

Step 4: Cut the pumpkin into smaller equally sized pieces. Once you have all the seeds and gunk out slice up the pumpkin halves into several equally sized pieces.

Step 5: Cook the pumpkin. Places pieces in a casserole dish and cover with top or if yours are overflowing your largest casserole dish like mine you can simply cover the dish with a piece of aluminum foil. Place in a preheated oven at 350F and cook the pumpkin for 45-90 minutes. The pumpkin is done cooking when you can slice through the pumpkin flesh with an edge of a fork with almost no effort.

Step 6: Blend. Use a large metal spoon to scape the pumpkin away from the skin and place into a blender and blend until smooth. If you have a very dry pumpkin like mine you might need to add a little water to get a good cortex going like above.

Step 7: Freeze.  Scoop your pumpkin puree into a couple of cupcake pans and freeze for 24 hours.  Then using both your thumbs apply a little pressure on the bottom of each frozen pumpkin puck to dislodge.  My wife had a great idea of using those silicon cupcake liners to make getting them out easier….though we just purchased those a day too late so I had to deal with the muscle and cold finger technique.  Place your dislodged pumpkin pucks into a freezer bag removing extra air with a straw and should be good to use for about 12 months…which is perfect when more pumpkins arrive and the process repeats.

Each puck is approximately 1/2 cup so just pull out and defrost as many as you need for your recipe.  Given there are no additives or sugar involved I have also used this same puree as baby food, which our daughter seemed to enjoy, but I opted for some fresh banana bread for myself.

One of the good things about a cold summer is still getting harvests of summer vegetables now into October.  Got another cucumber for summer fall pickles and some tomatoes I have ripening inside which this weekend I used to make some low carb pizzas.

One thing I was especially excited about was my jalapenos finally getting ready to be picked which I will dry and make jalapeno pepper powder which is an excellent addition to eggs in the morning and burgers in the evening providing the taste and kick of jalapenos without the texture and moisture.

I have also picked some green peppers which I will be drying out for my own variation of not so sweet paprika.

I normally get burned out over the spring/fall and don’t do much for the fall/winter season.  This year I decided I want to have a nice selection of winter veggies so I am going all out and start my winter garden.

In the garden now are kale, broccoli, bok choy, carrots, spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula (one of the most profitable vegetables), bunching onions, garlic, and leeks.  I wanted to grow Brussel sprouts but I should have started those about 4 month ago.

I grew the lettuce, broccoli, onions, and leeks from seeds in the grow box and transplanted them a few of weeks ago.  The bok choy, kale, and arugula were an impulse addition when I saw the plants on sale and struggling at my local grocery store.

All of these plants should do pretty well with the mild winters we get here in the Pacific Northwest…but our hard rains and occasional snowfall could lead to their downfall.  For this reason I came up with this structure which when the rains and/or low temperatures come I will cover with 2.5mm plastic sheeting.  Though I plan on adding one more set of cross pieces to prevent sagging in the middle, I consider this design a bit of a hybrid between row covers and a full blown hoop house.

This will provide plenty of space for the plants to grow and ease of getting under the structure to harvest in the rain while not large enough to hopefully not catch a little wind and sail away.

I am excited to continue to collect my harvests all year round.

Previously I have just thrown my tomatoes peels into the compost after peeling them, but fortunately I got wind of an awesome technique of repurposing these into some tomato peel powder.  This is great when you want to create add some tomato flavor to a omelet or casserole without having to add the additional moisture raw tomatoes would include.  As an added bonus these peels have awesome nutritional and health benefits:

Bioavailability of carotenoids from finely crushed peels homogenized in tomato paste appeared to be similar to lycopene from the tomato flesh. Such a peel enrichment of tomato products would be a means to increase the nutritional value of tomato pastes and to enhance the intake of carotenoids. ₁

Step #1: Dry your tomato skins.  If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry them in the oven by setting it at its lowest temperature setting.  For a bit slower drying process you can place a small fan in your dryer wedging the door open slightly and add a small desk fan to get some air circulating.  For added heat place a ceramic reptile heater into the oven to get great results.  Depending on the heat you are generating it should take about 12-24 hours for these skins to dehydrate and be brittle breaking (not flexing) when bent.

Step #2: Make some tomato powder.  Place your dried tomato peels into a spice/coffee grinder.  I personally went with my Magic Bullet with the grinder attachment.  Grind until

Grind until until it becomes a fine powder.

You can store this powder for about 6 months in a airtight container, you can get more life out of these if you hold off grinding to just before use given oxidation can only occur where air is permeable so this will give you richer flavors longer.  I enjoyed about 1/4 teaspoon of this powder on my omelet this morning and was a great flavor without the excess moisture raw tomatoes provide.

If you don’t have enough tomato peels to fill your needs for tomato powder, you can also do the same process on the flesh of the tomatoes by slicing thin and dehydrating and grinding in the same way.

If you have a lot of tomatoes to peel, I would recommend the classic method of quickly boiling and chilling the tomatoes.  Though if you have just a few tomatoes and are making something like pizza sauce or making a little salsa here is the technique for you.

Step #1: Slice your tomatoes and remove seeds.  Start by slicing your tomatoes down the middle and remove any seeds and membrane using a small spoon.

Step #2: Grate tomato.  Use your standard cheese grater and shave off all the flesh.  The skin should be thick enough to keep your fingers safe, but still be careful.

In the end you should have some nice grated tomato ready to make some tomato sauce or some fresh salsa with no chopping required.

All that is left if your tomato peels, but don’t throw them in your compost I have a post coming up with a great way to not waste these tasty part of your tomatoes.

Why let your gardening season end, with a little creativity there are many vegetables that can continue growing right through winter.  I find this fun as wells of a rewarding challenge bringing in some great produce from my garden all year round.

Choosing your winter vegetables

First we need to determine what vegetables to grow, given temperature and lack of light will be a reality we will have to go with the colder tolerate spring/fall options.  below are some of my favorites and their typical hardy temperatures.

Arugula: Hardy up to 15F (-9C).  Not only is this the most profitable vegetable to grow per square foot it is a tasty and nutritious addition to your garden salads a very good source of vitamin A/C/K, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and manganese.

Beets: Hardy up to 20F (-7C).  With beets you have a couple of options, eat the roots which are an excellent source of folate, potassium and manganese.  The other option is to eats the beet greens which are an excellent source of vitamin A/C/E/K/B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese

Bok choy: Hardy up to 24F (-4C).  Bok choy is a great source of vitamin A/C/K/B6, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese.

Broccoli: Hardy up to 10F (-12C).  So many options here and great eat fresh and if you get too much at once it is easy to freeze your excess crops while being a great source of Vitamin A/C/K/B6, folate, potassium and manganese.

Brussels Sprouts: Hardy up to 0F (-16C).  If the thought of Brussels sprouts sicken you, don’t give up on these until you try some fresh from your garden.  As an added bonus this is a great source of vitamin A/C/K/B6, thiamin, folate, potassium and manganese.

Cabbage (Winter): Hardy up to 5F (-14C).  Use for raw for coleslaws or cooked in stews or soups to add some vitamin C, folate, potassium and manganese to your next meal.

Carrots: Hardy up to 15F (-9C).  Great in salads, stir-fry, or raw as a quick snack and is also a great source of Vitamin A/C/K and potassium

Collards: Hardy up to 24F (-4C).  Great sautéed with a little oil with salt and pepper and a great source of vitamin A/C/E/K/B6, riboflavin, folate, calcium and manganese.

Endive: Hardy up to 5F (-15C).  Great addition to salads as well as making or a great addition to sounds.  Endive is high in vitamin A/C/K, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese.

Kale: Hardy up to 8F (-13C).  Sauté as a great side or even bake to make some delicious Kale chips and is high in vitamin A/C/K/B6, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese.

Kohlrabi: Hardy up to 15F (-9C).   The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet1.   Kohlrabi is a great source of vitamin C/B6, potassium, copper and manganese

Garlic: Hardy up to 8F (-13C).  One of the most useful aromatics to use in your kitchen and high in vitamin C/B6 and Manganese.

Leeks: Hardy up to 8F (-13C).  Great additions/bases for many soups and stocks.  Has flavor of onion though not quite as overpowering.  It is also a great source of vitamin A/C/K, folate and manganese.

Lettuce: Hardy up to 24F (-4C).  Staple for a quick winter salad.  Choose varieties with darker leaves for more nutritious goodness of vitamin A/C/K, thiamin, folate, iron, potassium and manganese.

Onions (Bulb): Hardy up to 0F (-18C).  Plant these out this fall/winter for some nice large bulbs next spring summer.  These provide a great deal of versatility and vitamin B6, folate, potassium and manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

Onions (Bunching): Hardy up to 10F (-12C).  Plant a bunch of these and your garden and they will continue to spread and provide additional produce to your kitchen.  With just a little bit of protection you can have onions all winter.

Peas: Hardy up to 35F (2C).  Can be shelled and cooked and eaten as is or added to some nice soups in the wintertime or kept in the shells and eat raw or a great addition to a nice stir-fry.  Peas also provide vitamin A/C/K, thiamin, folate, iron and manganese.

Spinach: Hardy up to 8F (-13C).  Just recently got turned back to eating spinach, previously just used in an occasional salad but now I add to omelets every morning for some great taste but are also packed with nutritional potency being a very good source of protein, vitamin A/C/E/K/B6, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese.

Swiss Chard: Hardy up to 20F (-7C).   Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

When can you actually grow these vegetables

Now that found the vegetables you want to grow now is a good time to check those hardy temperatures of the vegetables you have chosen compared to your average winter temperatures.  If your average low for the day is going to fall at or below that limit you may want to consider skipping that one or invest in a little protection.

Using a site like WeatherSpark, you can determine what your average low is for your area and then determine what vegetables you can grow during the winter.  As you can see above on average in my area the average low is 36F which allows me to grow most of the cold season vegetables mentioned above.  Though it is possible to get an occasional cold streak which cold mean death to my vegetables over the winter.

By using some row covers you can provide a little extra temperature (5-10F) depending on the thickness of the plastic and the volume of air you are attempting to keep warm.  The thicker the plastic the better the temperature retention though allows less light to get through.  For my area I am going with 2.5mm which should provide some decent protection while still allowing needed light in.  When things really go bad you can also supplement with a light blanket at night and/or a couple strings of regular old Christmas lights (no LEDs for this application) to provide a few more degrees.

How to start your vegetables

Though your plants may grow well in the low temperatures germination can be incredibly slow at lower temperatures even for cold weather plants.  For this reason you should start your vegetables indoors and bring them outdoors with some minimal hardening off.

As a general rule here are the plants you should be able to start as seeds in the ground now (September):

• Carrots
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions (sets for green onions, seeds for spring onions)
• Radishes
• Spinach

Other plants should be started indoors and planted out as starts.  These can be brought out right now so check you local grocery store…this time of year I have found 4-packs of winter vegetable starts as low as $0.25 as the stores are making room for the Halloween pumpkins coming in.  Since you will want a continuous harvest you can also start seeds now and every few weeks for a constant supply of winter vegetables all winter long.

Summing things up

By taking maturing and harvest time into account and creating continual planting you should supply yourself with delicious and nutritious selection of vegetables all winter long.  I was going to go into what I am growing this year…but this post is already getting long so will write about that later…

With temperatures starting to drop and heavy rains on the way it has come time to start pulling some tomatoes to ripen indoors.  Tomatoes need ethylene to ripen, this occurs naturally by the tomatoes plants releasing this during the later stages of growth thus causing the tomatoes to change color.

You can do this indoors with the by simply taking your tomatoes that are just beginning to blush and place them in a convenient container.  Though you might get some ethylene from the stems remaining on the plants I also will add a ripe banana which also naturally releases ethylene which will assist to the ripening process.

I do this in a contraption I like to call my ethylene tomato gas chamber…

Ok, I know it is just plastic shoe box with a banana in it…this provides a portable area I can add my tomatoes as needed and also able to put a lid on it to contain the ethylene while also keeping fruit flies away from the nice ripening banana.

This technique gives the tomatoes adequate humidity not dry enough to create sundried tomatoes, but low enough to prevent the tomatoes from being too moist which would lead to rotting.

After just a couple days your riper tomatoes should be fully red and ready to eat, now these will not taste quite as good as the ones ripening on the vine, but little tastier than the ones you get in your local grocery store and you know exactly what was sprayed (or better yet…what wasn’t sprayed) on the plants.

Update (Day #2)

Update (Day #3)

Update (Day #4) Put in a new banana

Update (Day #7) Already ate a couple of tomatoes

I made the same mistake I did with the broccoli, by purchasing more spinach (2.5 lbs) than I could eat within a week or two at most before it goes bad.  To not be wasteful I decided to to freeze some of the extra.

Start bringing a large pot of water to a hard rolling boil, add as much spinach as you can fit and cover with lid and cook for 2 minutes.  Strain into colander and spray with cold water for one minute to stop cooking process.

Allow water to draining out for a few minutes then squeeze out excess with your hands and lay out on some paper towels.  Place another paper towel on top and press firmly to remove all additional liquid.

Separate spinach into easily consumable portions (I went with two 5 oz servings) and place into a Ziploc sandwich bag and place these bags into a one gallon Ziploc freezer bag and place into your freezer

As far as cost savings go I can buy chopped or leaf spinach for $1.49 for a 10 oz. package (same amount I made myself)  This works out to $2.39 per pound, I can buy a 2.5 lb. bag for $3.00 ($1.20 per pound) or roughly half the price for a pretty simple process.

I love broccoli, the problem is no one else in my family likes it with me.  I am also cheap and don’t like paying $2.49 per pound at the produce section of my grocery store nor $3.69 per pound in the frozen section.  I had a simple solution to this problem buy 3 pounds 3 lbs. ($1 a pound) of broccoli from Costco.  Though like I mentioned I love broccoli I do not love it enough to put away before it goes bad in about a week.

The solution to this problem was quite simple, I would simply freeze 2 lbs. of broccoli to eat later.

Step 1: Cut and wash the broccoli.  Make sure the broccoli is in roughly uniform size pieces.  I simple cut these to the size I would want to eat the so I can save myself some time when it comes time to cook these later.  Given a quick rinse, I wouldn’t worry too much about getting them dry since you will be putting them in water in a few moments anyway.

Step 2: Blanch the broccoli.  You need to blanch the broccoli to kill and of the bad bacteria, etc. before you freeze them.  You have 2 options here, you can steam them for 5 minutes or boil them for 3 minutes.  I opted for steaming so I could easily add and remove my broccoli using a metal colander.

Just fill up your “basket” drop it into already boiling water…

and throw a lid on and wait 5 minutes.

Step 3: Stop cooking the broccoli.  You do not want to keep cooking the broccoli so take your now blanched broccoli and….

dump it into a waiting ice cold water bath.

After cooling for 2-3 minutes move into portion size Ziloc bag to enjoy later.

Though this water appears much greener than the picture shows there is are plenty of vitamins and minerals leached into this water and would be a great start for some vegetable stock…but I was tired and dumped it down the sink…

This is not the first time visitors have stolen tomatoes from my garden, but this year the mystery pest has gotten every ripe tomato I have grown this year, which given out cold/wet summer has only been about a dozen ripe tomatoes.  I normally go with the philosophy of this land is owned by my neighborhood animals first and I am fine sharing a tomato, some lettuce, and a few blueberries, but with the end of the season coming closer and less tomatoes left on the vines…I am going to war with the hungry critter.

This evening I applied a liberal amount of Critter Ridder from Havahart following the directions on the packaging.  Instead of trying to describe the product I will defer to marketing material to describe products I use since that is what they get paid the big bucks for.

This powerful combination of active, all-natural ingredients work together to irritate the animal immediately if it smells, tastes or touches the product. This unpleasant experience drives the animal away unharmed but unwilling to return to the treated area. 

Our patented formula effectively repels groundhogs, skunks, dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks and other nuisance animals.

So hoping my pest happens to one of the animals that hates the stuff.   I applied this per the directions around my tomato beds and the lawn surrounding the bed.  For good measure I also applied a little on a tomato they were too full to finish on their last visit.  From previous observations I have found they are good about cleaning on the previous nights meal.  Given the active ingredients contain black pepper oil and capsaicin (what makes peppers hot) given we are the only known species that will voluntarily eat these spices pretty sure the animal will not appreciate my seasoning of their leftovers from the previous night.

To once and for all confirm the pest I am dealing with I have setup my OutbackCam night camera to catch any returning visitors on film…hopefully I only catch them once after they have a taste of my spicy tomato I cooked up for them.

Nightly Updates

Night #1: Mystery pest returned, though moved the tomatoes around but did not eat much of his leftovers.  Was a bit of a ninja and not captured on camera.

Night #2: Again the mystery pest returned and ate a little more but again did not trigger a picture

Night #3: Got a picture triggered but mystery pest must have some sort of invisibility cloak on because I do not see it in the picture.  Planning on moving the camera back a little farther from the fence (or possibly turn on an outside light) since the IR LEDs seem to a little intense at that distance.  Again the pest played with the tomatoes but didn’t seem to eat much (if any) and has not bothered any of the other tomatoes in the vine.

Normally blackberries are in their prime in early August, but with our cold winter they are just starting to come around now.  After a little bit of hunting my partners and I found a few good stretches of bushes and had out one gallon bucket of blackberries filled in no time.

In the past I have created the following with these seemingly never-ending supply of free produce:

Blackberry Pie
Blackberry Jam

This year I went with something with much less sugar and made a great low-carb blackberry ice cream recipe.  At just 188 calories per serving, 7 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of sugar…this is a good alterative to other desserts in our freezer and much more tasty.

When my first cucumber started to rot in the vine when I was waiting for it to mature, I realized that I grew the smaller variety of which grows 6-8 inch cucumbers which are perfect for pickling to enjoy a nice nutritional snack.  Having a few nice specimens on the vine this afternoon I decided to make myself a few pickles.

Step 1: Clean the pickles.  One of the surprises when I picked my first cucumber a few years back was the little spikes they have on them…you don’t see any of those by the time they make it to you in the grocery store.  I quick bit of brushing of your hand should get these off.  Finish this off with a quick wash in the sink and you should have a few clean almost pickles.

Step 2: Cut the Pickles.  If you have a small variety like mine you can get away with simply quartering (or cutting in sixths if you have an extra girthy one).  For full size cucumbers you will probably need to cut it into two pieces and cut each half into sixths or eighths depending on how large of spears you desire.

Step 3: Brine the Pickles.  There are many good recipes for brines out there.  Here is my favorite that provides a good balance of sweet/salty/spicy as well as some extra components to have a nice balanced flavor profile.  Simply add the ingredients to a 1 quart mason jar, give it a little shake, then add your cucumbers.  Secure the lid of the jar and give the jar another shake and place in your refrigerator.

My Pickle Brine

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water (or enough to cover the pickles)
• 3 T sugar (artificial sweetener works here)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Step 4: Wait. This can be the hardest part, you need to wait at least 3 days for your pickles to brine, possible a couple of days more if you needed to add much more than 1 cup of water to cover your cucumbers.

As more cucumbers come in you can simply add them to the jar and have a non-stop supply of incoming snacks…at least until the end of summer.

For something a little more traditional you can also try the following:

Alton Brown’s Dill Pickle Brine

• 5 1/2 ounces pickling salt, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 gallon filtered water
• 3 pounds pickling cucumbers, 4 to 6-inches long
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dill seed
• 1 large bunch dill

Directions: Same process as above though probably going to have to wait 6-7 days before your pickles are ready and are good for about 2 months.

Now if you want to more about the microbial activity and science behind making pickles, I kid you not below is probably the best explanation I have seen from the historic episode “The Magic School Bus: In A Pickle” and will teach you (or your kids/grandkids) everything and probably more than you would want to know about pickling cucumbers.

I saw this interesting suggestion I thought I should share.  Instead of putting your tea bags in your garbage (or compost) place them in the bottom of your pots before planting.  This helps keep the soil from draining out when you water and allows some nutrient to seep into your soil.

Via LifeHacker

Tomato hornworms are common garden pests. This post will show you how to identify them and the best tomato hornworm control methods.

About the Tomato Hornworm

The tomato hornworm becomes the five-spotted hawk moth. In its caterpillar form, it is incredibly disastrous to gardens and landscapes.

How to ID the Tomato Hornworm

The tomato hornworm is 4-5 inches long, once full size. Typically they are the largest caterpillars you will see in your garden. Green in color it has white V-shaped marks. Their color and markings help camouflage them in your garden. In fact, you may see their destruction before you see the actual caterpillar.

Tomato hornworms have enormous appetites, destroying entire leaves, stems and immature fruits.

Given their name, many incorrectly assume they only attack tomatoes. However, they also attack eggplants, peppers and potatoes. In a matter of days they can completely defoliate a plant.

If you don’t recognize their damage or spot one, you can ID these vicious pests by their black droppings, called frass, found at the base of plants or on leaves.

How to Control Tomato Hornworms

One of the simplest ways to control tomato hornworms is to pick them off whenever you see them. They are large and easy to grab when you spot them. Either squish them or spray them with organic pesticides.

Handpicking, however, can be time-consuming. Only best for very small gardens, handpicking will ultimately leave behind some of the caterpillars. And because even just one caterpillar will cause extensive damage, handpicking is often not the most effective way to end their infestation.

Beneficial Insects

There are insects that eat the tomato hornworm, such as the praying mantis. However, beneficial insects may not be in your garden. If you add these beneficial insects, they will end up leaving for other food sources once they can’t find pests in your garden anymore. Thus, relying on them as your sole form of pest control gives the pests another chance of infestation.

Applying BT

BT, or Bacillus Thuringiensis, can be used to treat a tomato hornworm infestation. However, it only works on small larvae, leaving the plant-destroying adults behind to continue their extensive damage.

Best Organic Tomato Hornworm Control

They make really effective organic pesticide products. They are easy to use and kill the tomato hornworms at all stages, ensuring you a healthy organic garden.

Available as sprays and powders, the most effective ones:

· Kill 45 different insect species

· Exterminate them at all stages, from eggs to adults

· Are ready-to-use

· Are OMRI Listed, which means they’ve been reviewed and approved for use in organic gardening.

Guest Author Byline This guest blog post is written by Michelle Anderson who specializes in insect control, including organic pesticides and insect killer.

Last year it was raining when I pulled my garlic and it almost seems like it hasn’t stopped running up to a couple of weeks ago.  So unfortunately I was unable to properly let my garlic lay out in the sun for a few days to completely dry out.  I did the best I could and braided the garlic and hung it up in my garage to keep the vampires away and to provide some awesome flavor to my cooking.  Given my garage has some moisture and varying heat many of the cloves still were moist enough to start sprouting though I did have a good supply most of the winter.

Fortunately this year with out mild summer the garlic grew great and was able to pull them out a week ago and strangely enough there even was some sunshine to get them dry this year.  I have taken a spare length of wire shelving and use it to move them in the garage at night and out to bask in the sunshine during the day. 

Now they have a good tan off to braid them up and find a drier place to store them and should have garlic to eat for at least 6 months. 

As for the sprouting garlic…will put that in the ground now for next year.

This weekend I decided to clean up the yard a bit and do some of my later in the season chores a little early.  One of these on the list was trimming my new (second year) raspberry bushes.  The first step was getting these bushes under control, if I had a larger space I probably would build a more stable construction for better airflow and make picking easier…but given my small space I simply took a couple nails and a couple of lengths of twine and loosely supported the stems to keep them from falling over into our lawn.  Finish by tying the twine around the nails and task number one is done.

The production of raspberries goes in a two year cycle.  The first year you get vegetative stalks (all green no flowers or berries) and the second year these previous vegetative stalks become flowering stalks and produce nice delicious berries.  During this time more vegetative stalks develop and the process repeats itself.  Once a flowering stalk completes delivering all of its berries it will turn brown and die off.  Taking care of these was my first task.  All this requires is finding the flowing stalks and cut them at their base, easy way to go is to cut anything brown and then pull them out (using gloves is advised)

This part was pretty easy since I only have a few flowering stalks the first year but you can see from the picture above I should get a decent crop of raspberries now the plant is becoming more established.

Now I simply let the plants do their thing and when the leaves fall off I will trim them to a height of about 5 feet, next spring given them a healthy scoop of alfalfa pellets and wait for the bounty of sweetness to come in next summer.

I am a bit jealous seeing pictures across the country/world of everyone’s baskets of tomatoes, but I am getting close to my first few tomatoes on their modest vines starting to turn red…I see some salsa in my near future.

There is a very good reason why tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in the home garden, you can’t beat the taste of a home grown tomato.  Tomatoland provides and exposé of specifically the Florida tomato industry showing many of the negative, though there are still a few positives explaining the history and the process of getting this previously alluring fruit to your local grocery store.  After reading I can now add several other reasons to avoid purchasing those perfectly round and red commercial tomatoes at my local grocery store which I will explain in more details below. 

 

Matter of Taste

As many of you may or not know below is what your delicious red tomato looks like when picked from the vine.  By picking the tomatoes young this helps prevent fungal diseases prone to the humid Florida area where a good portion of our tomatoes from grocery stores and restaurants are grown.  This also assists in the transportation of these tomatoes without damage to areas like where I live which is about far away from Florida as you can get.  So how does these less appealing tomatoes look like the perfect ones we see in the stores?  Once they reach their destination they are gassed with ethylene to give them their nice red appearance.

There have also been decades of breeding to produce a perfectly round, high yielding tomato, disease tolerant, and of proper size.  Unfortunately during this process taste has not really been a consideration into this breading process.  Along with taste tomatoes have lost much of the nutritional value they have had in the past.  “According to analyses conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of fresh tomato today has 30 percent less vitamin C, 30 percent less thiamin, 19 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium.  So you grandmother may have been correct telling you to eat your vegetables back in the day…sadly maybe this is no longer the case.

Human Factor

Most people are aware that insecticides and pesticides are used to grow most of our commercially produced produce.  We have been told that end up on our fruits are so small that there is no risk to humans.  This statement is definitely an easily arguable statement but in this book the author goes into great detail of the effects of these pesticides on the farm workers who were forced to go into fields too soon before application and in many cases pesticides actually being sprayed directly on the workers.  As a result this led to many cases of reproductive issues with the farmers leading to many cases of abnormalities of children at birth as well as sickness and injuries, rashes during the immediate exposure.

The book also details the outright slavery existing in the Florida tomato fields as less than a decade ago.  This is something that surprised me that I had not heard about this.  There are also examples of modern day indentured servitude by offering an appealing wage but then extorting money from the workers for simple items such as water, “showers” (using a garden hose to rinse of pesticides, food, and premium rent at living quarters which normally would include sharing a small trailer with several other men.

Overall

Overall I thought Tomatoland was a great book and help reinforce my reasons for growing my own produce and supporting my local organic farmers.  It also encouraged me to me aware of who’s hands my food my travel as I decide to make a purchase at my local grocery store.  I would recommend this book to anyone who feels that paying a little extra for organic products is just too much to pay or anyone simply interested in how the tomato industry is run.

Vegetable stock is a great way to infuse some great flavors and nutrients to your food.  There are the obvious additions such as soups, but I also like to add to staples such as rice and mashed potatoes and even my most fussy vegetable eaters do not even notice.

I didn’t have a lot of spare vegetables so I made a small batch just for the rice I was making for dinner.  You can use pretty much any spare root vegetables you have in your garden or refrigerator.  For non-root varieties celery, tomatoes (especially good if making minestrone soup), corn, and other fresh herbs can also be good additions…general rule if you find it in soup good chance it can help your vegetable stock’s flavor. For be this included some bunching onions, leek, and some baby carrots from the garden.

Homemade vegetable stock recipe

• 3 bunching onions (white and light green areas) chopped in 2 pieces
• 5 baby carrots sliced in half
• 1 leek cut in half
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 4 peppercorns
• 2.5 cups cold water

Directions: Cook at low heat for at least 30 minutes (I normally go up to an hour).  This should add a great aroma around your house with kids asking where the chicken noodle soup is.  Now simply strain the stock into a container (I normally use a large spoon when pouring into my strainer but was difficult to hold a pan, spoon, and a camera at the same time)  I then take the remaining vegetables and add to my compost bin…you could also have a few carrots as a snack but not going to be much flavor nor nutrients left…guess it pretty much is fiber supplement at this point.

Once you have strained your now rendered vegetable stock you can use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for about a week or freeze for up to 6 months.

WARNING: Once you try you homemade version of vegetable stock you probably will not be able to go back to the canned version again.

Last weekend my daughters and I went to a berry farm in my home town to pick some raspberries.  Of course a few were eaten while picking but we left with 5 lbs. of berries by the time we left.  After making 6 pints of raspberry jam and eating a few cups at snacks we still had some extra left, unfortunately ripe berries will go bad and begin to mold quickly…scary how the berries I buy in the store that traveled hundreds of miles do not have this problem…the also do not taste anywhere near as delicious either.

Long story short…I ended up with some extra berries I know would go to waste if I didn’t do something with them quickly so I decided to freeze them.

1. Wash and Dry.  Give the raspberries a quick wash and let the water drain for the strainer for a couple minutes to allow the water to drain off.

2. Pour berries into a container.  I chose a cake pan because it was the right size to fit all my berries.  Do your best to spread the berries out into as single layer but if a few are touching that is not a problem (will explain later)

3. Freeze berries.  Allow 6-8 hours for berries to completely freeze.  As you can see in the picture below I was lacking freezer space so opted to use the ice tray for this short freeze (remembering to turn off the ice maker to avoid an incident)

4. Separate and store the berries.  If you were not careful like me and the berries seem to be frozen in a single blob, never fear.  Simply take the cake pan and move inside a gallon Ziploc container and flip upside down and smack the back of the cake pan.  Now you should have a circle of frozen berries.  Remove the pan and use your hands (outside the bag) to break apart the berries.  With just a few seconds of effort you should have nearly no big chunks of raspberries.  Finish off with the poor mans vacuum sealer (stick a straw into the Ziploc bag and suck and you should have some berries good for at least 6 months.

Nearly August and I decided it is finally time to bring the peppers out from the garage, though in some ways they are doing so well in the heated grow box with a killer 120 watt Extreme Flower LED lighting not sure if I should chance it but looking at the upcoming forecast this might be as good as it gets.

So far my peppers in the Topsy Turvy strawberry planter appears to be a success.  Even with the cold wet summer we have been having plants have survived and even has at least one baby cayenne pepper growing on it.

Though they are just now starting to see their first rays of sunshine have a good looking Rossi Italian Pepper growing here.

Here I have a couple of banana peppers I can pick anytime.

I am also excited to see these jalapeno peppers provided I ran out of jalapeno pepper powder a few months ago and have been missing it in my omelets in the mornings.

Finally I have my cayenne plants which was a survivor from last year, I pulled it into the garage to let some of the last few peppers ripen up as the temperatures got cool and forgot about it.  After a few months I assumed it was dead until I saw some new growth on the plant and quickly put it under the LEDs where it fully recovered and started flowering and producing fruit.  Currently drying some of the pods and also saving some of the extra mature ones to save for seeds might have a hearty specimen here.

Whether you want to eat local just to know where your food comes from, to support your local farmers, or possibly an environmental perspective of promoting organic farming or going for a challenge of a 100 mile diet, here is a guest post to help you out.

Eating local has tons of benefits. Fresh food, less environmental damage, preserving farm land, supporting local economy, the list goes on and on. So how can you go local in your meal planning? Here are some easy ways that you can give your environment (and your stomach) a little boost.

Join a CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a program which allows individuals to support a farming operation by giving money to farmers upfront in exchange for a weekly box of food. Find CSA farmers on the Local Harvest website. The website also provides information on how to find a CSA program that will best suit you and your families needs. If you live by yourself, split the food with a neighbor or friend.

Preserve Local Food for the Winter

Make a jelly or jam, pickle vegetables, make some applesauce. These are just a few ways that you can preserve your local food for the winter. Go to the National Center for Food Preservation website to learn how to preserve food.

Go to a Farmers’ Market

Rather than going through a “middle man,” like a supermarket, go straight to the source. Farmers’ markets allow you to buy directly from the person who has grown your food. This is also a great way to get involved in your community. Find a farmers’ market near you on the USDA website.

Build a Backyard Garden

Do you have a green thumb? If you haven’t already, you should consider building a fruit and/or vegetable garden in your backyard. Do some research to find some plants that thrive in your region. If you’re less than confidant about your gardening skills, start small with a windowsill herb garden.

So there you have it — several ways to integrate some local eats into your diet. Once you start eating local, you will feel not only closer to your food, but to your community too.

James Kim is a writer for foodonthetable.com.  Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services.  Their goal is to help families eat better and save money.

My previous attempt at making planting strips worked ok, lapsed a bit on the watering, but had a few surviving carrots.  This time around I decided to go with the classic technique at making planting strips with simple toilet paper.

1. Start with single ply.  If you buy the fancy double-triple ply toilet paper you will want to pull them apart to start with a single layer.  This will make it even easier for your seeds to push their roots through the paper.

2. Cut to appropriate widths.  You should be able to get four lengths of planting strip (eight lengths for double ply) by cutting the paper lengthwise 4 times.  In my case I only needed 3 so I simply cut mine into thirds.

3. Apply some glue using a glue stick.  Hold one end of the paper and use a little dap of glue for the appropriate spacing for my carrots I did just a little under 2 inches (just eye balling no measuring required.

4. Attach the seeds.  Simple drop a few seeds in the area and press gently with your finger to ensure they are in place.  I then pick up the paper and lightly shake off any seeds that did not stick and reapply seeds as needed.

5. Plant the strips.  There is no reason to wait for these to dry, you can plant them immediately or wait a few days/weeks until you are ready.  Lay in the desired location, cover will a bit of soil and give a light watering.  In a few weeks you should have perfectly straight and spaced rows the seeds of your choice.

After many weeks of overcast and low evening temperatures, hoping to see some real summer weather soon…not sure if the peppers will even make it out of the garage this summer.

This bed holds all of my cold season crops, I also chose varieties that do not really need to be watered too often given it is a pain to drag a hose out to this location so it normally gets neglected.  Here I have onions (bunching and bulbs), leeks, carrots (still small), cilantro (coriander at this point), garlic, romaine lettuce, and surrounded by strawberry plants in the holes of the cinder blocks.  I was also smart this year to save some open space to plant some fall crops (I always seem to be ambitious and forget to do that.

The slug deterrent strategies have been successful and have not had much problems with them this year…though I was not as diligent on a second bed…

My raspberries that snuck in from my neighbors fence are also coming in nicely, I don’t think any of these have made it indoors eaten by myself of my oldest daughter.

Still a couple more weeks for blueberries but should have enough to actually make something more than a smoothie this year.

It has been a rough year for the tomatoes but they are still surviving with even a few tomatoes going from yellow to red.

I got lazy with the pea trellis this year and simply leaned an old chain linked gate against my fence and called it good.  Actually worked pretty well and considering using the same for my cucumbers whenever summer stays around long enough.

Finally the peppers are doing great in the grow box.  Considering if I should even bother bringing them outside.  Been giving them a few hours of sunshine when we get some so hopefully when the good weather hits they will not get shocked too bad when I bring them outside.

Already got a couple of red cayenne peppers harvested with a nice banana pepper below not too far off:

I came across this interesting infographic showing pretty cool information about the home gardener I thought I would share.  I couple of interesting items were the average garden size and the economics of U.S. food gardens.

UPDATE: Some resources to see how profitable your garden can be: most profitable fruits and most profitable vegetables.

Unfortunately, at one time or another, most homeowners will encounter the need to defend their turf from some four-legged nuisance. Animals wreak havoc in yards and gardens, feasting on vegetables, seedlings, flowers, bulbs and trees. Some animals even burrow and create tunnels, effectively destroying the roots of plants. One of the best ways to get rid of an unwanted animal is a live animal trap. In this article, learn how to use live animal traps, including how to choose the right trap, bait it, and find its most effective location.

Animal Traps

Live animal traps are designed to capture the animal alive and are typically composed of an open mesh, rust-resistant steel frame. The mesh opening will vary in size depending on the animal being trapped. Smaller cages have smaller mesh doors for trapping smaller animals while larger cages have larger mesh doors for trapping larger animals. The most effective traps will have smaller openings to prevent the animal from escaping with stolen bait.

Food bait is used to lure the animal into the cage. Upon entering the cage, the animal activates a trigger, causing the door(s) to shut. There are a variety of different traps. Single entry traps are only open at one end and are designed for safe, secure catch-and-release while 2-door models allow the animal to enter from either direction. There are also collapsible models that are easy to transport and take less space to store when not in use.

Animal Trapping: How To Get Started

First, determine what animal is causing the damage in your yard. This will help you choose what size animal trap you need, in addition to the proper bait. The following is a general guide for each trap size: consult the manufacturer for the precise size needed according to the trap’s specific dimensions. An x-small trap is ideal for mice, chipmunks, voles and rats. A small animal trap will catch squirrels and rabbits. To trap opossums and skunks, use a medium trap. Large traps are used for capturing raccoons, armadillos, muskrats, groundhogs, cats and larger opossums. An x-large animal trap works for raccoons, groundhogs, opossums, armadillos and dogs.

Choosing The Right Bait For The Animal Trap

Choosing the right bait for the animal you are targeting is essential to a successful trapping experience. Here are a few bait suggestions for the most popular unwanted creatures.

• Squirrel Bait: cereal, nuts, grains, sunflower seeds, apples, peanut butter, popcorn
• Rabbit Bait: carrots, brussel sprouts, lettuce, apples
• Raccoon Bait: fish, watermelon, honey-covered vegetables, corn, fatty meat, marshmallows
• Cat Bait: fish, meats, sardines, tuna, chicken
• Armadillo Bait: worms, maggots, sardines
• Skunk Bait: chicken entrails, canned fish, beetles, bacon, cat food
• Vole Bait: peanut butter and molasses on whole wheat bread
• Chipmunk Bait: sunflower seeds, peanut butter, prune pits, cereal, popcorn
• Mice Bait: cheese, nuts, peanut butter, gum drops
• Groundhog Bait: string beans, lettuce, peas, cantaloupe, strawberries

Choosing The Ideal Animal Trap

When choosing your trap, there are a few things to keep in mind. Select an animal trap that is easy to set and release. The best traps allow you to set and release with one hand, making it less complicated to use. If the animal is being released, these types of animal traps provide the user with more safety and protection. With a full hand guard and a galvanized steel barrier separating the user from the animal, an easy set trap allows the user to stand behind the trap while single-handedly releasing the animal back into the wild.

Look for a trap that is sturdy and rust-resistant, as these traps will last through many years of trapping in all types of weather and climate conditions, offering better value for your investment. Spring-loaded doors with sensitive triggers are another important feature when choosing an animal trap. These traps ensure a quick, secure capture, preventing undesirable catches. Finally, keep in mind animal traps with smooth internal edges can protect trapped animals from injuries.

Capturing Animals with Animal Traps

Test all new traps prior to use to ensure they are working and you have set them properly according to the directions. An easy set animal trap is practically infallible and the ideal solution to virtually any animal problem. First decide the placement of the trap, which is crucial to performance. Place the trap away from human traffic and pets. Locate places where animals congregate or travel along paths and place animal traps along these routes in dark, shaded areas. Since animals often stay close to water, traps placed near water sources are also more successful.

After the spot has been selected, camouflage the trap with leaves, branches and dirt to give it a conditioned look. Choose the proper bait, spreading the bait around the trap and leading into the trap. Then activate the trap. A brand new trap may need a few nights to be effective, so be patient. If trapping is unsuccessful, move the trap location and/or change the bait.

Remember to check traps often. Trapped animals should not be left exposed to heat and cold. In addition, wild animals can become increasingly stressed out when left in traps too long, potentially injuring themselves.

When an animal is caught, place a towel over the trap to calm and shield the animal during transport. Contact your local state game commission to determine the lawful method of releasing a captured wild animal. If releasing the animal with an easy set animal trap, simply stand behind the trap and single-handedly release the animal. After every use, the animal trap needs to be washed and disinfected with a bleach solution and thoroughly rinsed with water.

Guest Post By: Havahart®

My daughter likes to plant seeds but when working with smaller seeds it can be difficult to plant these seeds especially the farther the location is from edge of the garden bed.  I have been thinking about solving this problem with a seed strip which can be made using burlap, newspaper, toilet paper, or any sort of paper for that matter.  Next you simply stick the seeds to the paper at the appropriate spacing, let them dry and roll out as far as you want to plant.  This allows you to get your seeds ready in the comfort of your favorite chair to prepare your seeds and not hunched over your garden with an aching back.

I a simple seed planting strip would have done well for what I was planning but I decided to go with the creation of my own carrot seed planting strip template that allows you to grow in the pattern of the vegetable you are growing.  Completely not necessary I know but it kept my daughter occupied working on the “craft” indoors this morning.

Step 1:  Get you materials.  Start by downloading and printing a carrot seed planting strip template.  In the picture below I printed out two copies and glued them together for a few extra carrots.  Next you need some glue, a great option is to mix a little flour and water together to the consistency of toothpaste, but I wanted to keep the mess to a minimum and used good ole school glue stick.

Step 2: Glue on the seeds.  Take a small dab of your glue and put a drop on each circle on the template.  Drop a 1-2 seeds on each glued circle and allow to dry.  Once dry I give the paper a quick shake to find any seeds that did not stick and reapply if needed.

Step 3: Plant your seeds.  Make a flat surface with your trowel moving a small layer of soil from your garden bed.  Lay down your paper carefully on the soil.

Finally over your paper with a small layer of soil that you removed previously.

Step 4: Water Thoroughly.  You need to hydrate the seed to begin germinating but you also want to start breaking down the paper and glue to not inhibit those young roots from penetrating the paper.

This was a fun project to do with my daughter, but also considering this is a good way to get some prep work done ahead of time to make the take of planting (here in WA is many times in the rain) a much quicker task.  This can be great for crops you grow multiple times per season.  You can get your seeds out once, make your seed planting sheets with the appropriate planting dates and bring them out to the garden as needed.

I have considered adding raspberries in my garden but never really got around to it.  This year the sort of were planted for me when my neighbors raspberry plant began sneaking under our fence.  This was not exactly the location I would have chosen to plant them if I picked up a plant from the local home improvement store…but figured best to go with it than fight it since I was sure the raspberry plant would be more persistent.

The reason why I would have not chosen this location is that is right next to where I grow my tomatoes/peppers also known as the only southern facing location in my yard.  I also had a hydrangea growing in the same area, though fortunately was not too established and I was able to transplant without too much shock.

To attempt to keep this creeping plant under some control I decided to setup some preventive barriers.  By taking some scrap plywood leftover from my grow box expansion I created an eighteen inch deep barrier to keep the raspberries from taking over my tomato/pepper turf as well as taking over my lawn.  I am pretty sure that the raspberries can still get under and/or move around it but hoping this will at least slow them down a little and save me from a little extra weeding in my lawn and garden beds.

Depending how effective (or ineffective) this is I probably will dig this out a little more and make something a little more beefy to keep these raspberries in their place…but this was as much digging as I felt comfortable doing without calling the "Call Before You Dig” folks to mark up my backyard.

Either way, I am definitely look forward to picking some fresh raspberries in my backyard this summer.  Though if any of you have some great ideas how to keep your raspberry plants in check I would love to hear about them…