Greg’s Garden (March 4th, 2014)


The Plots Are Ready, Now What?
First of all, we want to let our readers know that it is not too late to start your garden now. If you have an area in your back yard that is as small as 16 feet by 20 feet, you can have a plot garden with 4, 4 foot square plots. There is still plenty of time to get your plot ground prepared and the square plots built. If you want to have plants that will be harvested in late May or early to mid-June, you still have time to get your garden started.

We planted our first 4 plots with seed the first week of February and have small sprouts of lettuce, spinach, and snow peas. We kept them covered during these last weeks of cold and snow.  WalMart, Tractor Supply, and Lowe’s already have a large selection of seeds and even some plants available for gardening. Make sure you read the back of the packets to see when that seed variety is suggested for planting in the area that you live.  We both like a lot of greens during the spring into the early summer months. Since it just the two of us, a small batch of lettuce and spinach will do. When it comes time to plant our green beans, tomatoes, and corn we will plant a larger crop because I preserve them in canning jars or vacuum seal bags to use throughout the next year. Seeds can also be ordered through magazines like Burpee Seed Catalog, or even at the garden supply stores by buying in bulk.

We plant early in the spring so that we can reuse the same garden plots to plant again in the late fall for a second round of green vegetables in November and December.  This past year we had bok choy and spinach until nearly Christmas and carrots until mid-January.   
 
Feedback:
We wanted you to know that some questions on exactly when to start the plot garden were presented to us. This is something that is as individual as what you will plant. Depending on if you want to just eat your harvest or you want to preserve it by canning or freezing, then you need to plan your garden plots based on those needs. Canning or freezing will take larger harvests and will require both an early and a later growing season to ensure you have enough to get through the coming year.  Each garden is truly what you want to make of it. Experiment with many varieties of seeds and plants to get a feel for what you want and like to eat from your garden. We have been growing gardens for over 40 years and this is the first year we will be planting parsnips. We never had them much up north in Indiana but found in the last year that we like them in our soups and stews. They grow in cold weather real well and will be a good addition to the meals we will cook this winter on our wood burning stove. There is no standard to what you can plant as long as you plant as suggested by the seed packet and are willing to do what it takes to complete the project. So…Let’s get gardening!

Best Buys in Local Produce

Hey, Do you want to get that fresh produce at a good price? Here are two local Henderson food markets that have savings on those items you may want to add to your table. These prices are directly out of the stores weekly ad.

Food Lion:  ad expires  March 4th
Baby Peeled Carrots in a 1 lb. bag are only .99 each
Grape Tomatoes selling for 2pkgs. for $4.00
Fresh Express or Dole Salad Blend 9-12 oz. pkg. Buy 1 Get 1 Free

Save-A-Lot:  ad expires  March 15th
Fresh Red or White Grapes $1.49 lb.
Fresh Strawberries $1.99 for a 1 lb. pkg.
Fresh heads of Cabbage for only .39 per lb.

Vance County/Henderson Farmers Market
We have finally gotten information regarding the New Vance County Farmers Market that will be opening later this spring. There will be an Open House on April 3rd from 2pm to 4pm for the public to view the new building and meet some of the management staff. The building is located off of Beckford Drive. Please put this date on your calendar to attend. The new season will officially open sometime in early June. In later issues of Greg’s Garden we will keep you posted on the various items that will be available through the vendors (farmers) that have signed up.

In our next issue on March 17th:

· How to decide on what plants to purchase for our garden
· Adding hanging pots with vegetable plants to our plot garden
· What fruits and vegetables to purchase now at our local stores for our freezer or pantry
 
See you in 2 weeks!