Gardening can be a HUGE tool in your money-saving toolbelt. Can you imagine eventually not having to pay for fruits and veggies? Learning how to can and freeze what you get each season so that it lasts all year long? Wouldn’t that be an awesome break in your budget?
I (Rachel) have always had a black thumb when it comes to gardening so I’m looking forward to reading this series as much as you guys are! I have asked my friend (and fellow STS contributor) Sarah Falk from over at Renaissance Mama to share with us her knowledge and tips for having a successful garden!
Sarah and her husband Chris are actually joining up with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) this summer to help train missionaries to bring gardening skills to underdeveloped countries through something called aquaponics. Pretty cool, huh?
So, without further ado, here’s Sarah! 🙂
———————————————————————
Tip #1: Determine Your Gardening Goals
How many of you have ever wanted to garden? (I’m looking for your hands.) How many of you have tried to garden and it hasn’t gone so well? (Yup, more hands.) And how many of you are stellar gardeners? You gardener standouts PLEASE share your gardening expertise in the comments below.
Over the next 20 weeks, we’re going to share some tips that we hope will help you have a more successful garden than you’ve ever had before. Steps forward for all of us. We won’t all be Master Gardeners at the end of the series, but I bet we’ll know more than we do today. Ready? Let’s go!
Goals For Your Garden
You’ve decided to try this gardening thing. An important first step is to think about your goals for your garden. Do you want to provide the majority of the produce your family will eat, or do you simply want to grow a few tomatoes? Would you like to grow herbs for cooking or medicinal purposes? Or are you in it strictly for aesthetic purposes, and want to cultivate ornamental plants?
You’ll also want to take your geographical location into consideration. If you live in, say, Florida, you’re going to be able to grow citrus much easier than I could in Texas. Your local ag extension or gardening club (do a google search for “Gardening Club + your city, state) are fabulous resources for learning what grows well in your area. Factors like soil type, elevation, and the normal amount of rainfall all have an effect on what will grow well.
As you consider your goals, make sure to take into consideration both the space you have available and the time. Naturally, a garden on 1/2 an acre will take more time and be able to grow more than a patio garden. I do recommend that you start small, and gradually expand a little more after each growing season. You’ll learn a lot about what works (and doesn’t work!) for you and will want to make the appropriate modifications.
Take a little time this week to evaluate your goals, and join us next week for more gardening fun!
Share with us – what would you like to do with your garden this year?
Sarah graduated from Baylor with a major in bioinformatics and is now making that degree work hard by raising her two kiddos and keeping her husband relatively well fed. In her quieter moments, she can be found enjoying a homemade chai latte and reading on her Nook. You can also find her over at Renaissance Mama, on Facebook, and on Twitter! |
Lori scott says
I am also a gardener. I Teach Coupon Classes with @Saving Sista’s, .In My Class I talk about the benefits of Gardening, as well as Saving money.. My Garden Brings Me Much Joy, and Calmness. Pulling Weeds is somehow very rewarding, As Well Asa Bountiful Harvest.. Good Luck With Your garden. DIG IT …:) @Lori Scott
plantmad says
sarahrfalk plantmad is thrilled that you’ve started this series of posts. Well done you. As a garden designer and teacher of horticulture I hear all too often the frustration that the purchasing of plants can have for those novice gardeners, who let’s face it, have yet to take a serious look at their gardening needs and ‘prepare’ before jumping into spending [especially when they’ve not really thought things through]. Looking forward to reading more about you and your posts and am now following you on twitter and on facebook (I’m @thegardendesignco on facebook btw)