width=”550″ height=”412″ /> Free Vegetable Seeds Ask your coworkers: Are any of your coworkers gardeners? Setup a seed swap at lunch and/or see if they want to go in on a seed order and split up some seed packets for varieties you only need a few seeds. Harvest your own seeds: I typically grow at least one or two cilantro and pea plants to collect seeds from for the…
alt=”020″ width=”525″ height=”394″ border=”0″ /> It is that time of year again to stock up on some pumpkin puree from some fresh pumpkins. Not sure if it is the 3rd daughter or just getting older but this year I have come up with an ever faster way to convert pumpkins into puree. Not only does this give you a better tasting pie, but given a organic pumpkin cost $6…
width=”309″ height=”412″ /> Living in the rainy Pacific Northwest I have considered setting up some rain barrels to save a little on my water bill, but to also provide a water outlet to an area in my garden where one is not available. The biggest inhibiting factor of doing this sooner was cost, typically rain barrel kits cost at least $100 and though as you can see below might…
width=”549″ height=”412″ /> 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….
width=”550″ height=”412″ /> 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…
width=”549″ height=”412″ /> 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…
alt=”FarmersMarket” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/FarmersMarket.jpg?resize=400%2C258″ width=”400″ height=”258″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/FarmersMarket.jpg?w=400&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/FarmersMarket.jpg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1 300w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” /> 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,…
width=”549″ height=”412″ /> When standing with the hose in hand watering the garden this growing season here’s something to contemplate: The point of watering is feeding roots but in most cases excess water is wasted falling between and around plants. A watering can is better suited for the task but still lacks precision. One way to ensure water reaches its target is through a delivery mechanism that takes into…
Every time I buy vanilla I always have to stare at the bottles for a few minute contemplating if I should pay the extra cost for “Pure Vanilla” versus the imitation stuff. Provided the real stuff costs 15 times more than the fake stuff when I walk away with my little eye dropper worth of pure vanilla extract for the small fee of $7.99. Just for the record that…
An unfortunate thing happened to my little office basil growing experiment, I got some fungal gnats and not wanting to be the guy known for his office infested with flies I decided to throw together a little hydroponic system primarily consisting of items I had around the office. I started with an old reusable water bottle I had previously used to store water for my prior soil based basil…
2010 has been a pretty exciting year for CheapVegetableGardener.com. Bringing on a significant number of more readers and many great mentions by some large publications, I thought I would mention the top 5 posts of 2010 which helped this happen in case you missed them. Being kicked off by an awesome mention in a New York Times article and subsequent interview on Science Friday on NPR, this article on…
Though the prices for personal weather station have dramatically dropped (around $100) over the past few years, I decided to work on making my own. The primary measurement I wanted was temperature given this is the specific one that could be dramatically different from my neighbors (or neighborhood weather station) given the many unique microclimates your yard can have. Step 1: Create an account and weather station at Weather…