I am not a gardener, but some of my readers are. I loved this example of indoor container gardening that Noelle just sent me:
“I have a freebie after an initial one dollar investment at my local farm stand. I buy green onions and use what I want of them and save the little bulbs. I then plant them in a pot and put it in my window sill and I have fresh green onions for months. I trim what I need for my recipes and they just keep growing!
My son also loves to help put the bulbs in the pot. Its a great activity for kids because its like almost instant gratification since the onions can grow about a half inch over night. He was surprised when he saw the onions this morning!” -NoelleNoelle was kind enough to send me a photo of her green onions and a photo of herself with a sunflower that she grew from some free sunflower seeds. Thanks for sharing, Noelle!
What are you growing for your family to eat?
Jenn sent me this comment via email:”We tripled the size of our garden this year… we planted corn, cabbage, cauliflower, jellybean tomatoes, big boys and romas… okra, jalepenos, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and canteloupe..oh yes..and bush beans! We also have chives, lemon grass, dill, basil, fennel and strawberries. We have had so much rain in the midwest that everything is growing very well…we are so excited. I’m learning to can and freeze… we have been to pick your own farms for fruit and I am trying to do the majority of my produce shopping at farmer’s markets. My goal (inspired by this site and moneysavingmom) .. is to not be buying produce at the grocery store much longer…I’m trying to buy extra to can/freeze as we go along at the farmer’s market!My husband and I joke that we are little suburban farmers!”
You can grow garlic the same way! Just separate one of the (larger) bulbs from your garlic bunch and plant it so that just the tip shows above the soil.In a couple days, you’ll have a small green shoot showing. Once the shoot grows about six inches, you can start trimming it and adding the greens to your dishes – it has a little bit lighter of a flavor, not as heavy as the bulb itself.When the shoot dries up, dig up your bulb and you’ll have a whole, full bulb of garlic again. Separate, plant, rinse and repeat :)
We grow a ton of herbs since they’re so pricey at the store. Basil, cilantro, parsley, lavender, mint, thyme. We’re also growing tomatoes, and several kinds of peppers.
Lori sent me this comment via email: “I’m new to gardening in FL, but I’m growing herbs. The most wonderful discovery were two real fat caterpillars on the parsley one day. The next day they devoured all 3 plants. I looked it up on the internet and they were caterpillars that only eat parsley and then turn into the most beautiful butterflies. I need to plant more parsley :)”
We don’t really have much room in our yard for a true garden, but we are growing some mint, basil, and green onions here and there.Most of our summer produce comes from our awesome elderly Russian neighbor’s gigantic garden. We get a ridiculously generous supply to tomatoes, peppers, plums, etc. and in the fall she gives us several canning jars worth of veggies.I guess it’s kind of like a bartering system that we have. We repay her by doing manual labor type of favors for her. For example, my husband mows her lawn and helps her with random tasks, and I take her to the store every once in a while or pick up any grocery items she needs.
What a great idea! Thank you for sharing this.
Half of our garden has become strawberries! We can pick a huge bucket full every other day and they taste so good warm from the garden! I love watching my kids eat the berries!
We planted herbs this year, a first for me. Basil, oregano, parsley, chives, cilantro, dill, & chamomile. Also the usual tomatoes.
I am notorious among family and friends for my black thumb. Nonetheless, I took on a tomato plant, spinach plants, and broccoli plants this year. We’ve already enjoyed lots of tasty spinach and three green tomatoes are getting bigger each and every day. The broccoli plants and big and hardy, but there’s no broccoli to harvest yet. It is ridiculous how proud I am of my teeny-tiny garden. : )
We are growing our own green onions in our garden, along with lettuce (not too doing well though), jalapeno’s, broccoli and tomatoes. We planted spinach and green peppers, but they have never come up. Maybe we’ll try the spinach in the Fall.