[michiganmom]

I don't know how the prices of produce are in your area, but where I live they usually go down some in the summer.

Not this year -- not yet, anyway. I needed a tomato yesterday, and I bought ONE because they were $2.39 a pound. This is 40 cents more than 2 months ago, and it's summer time. Our tomato harvest starts in August here, but still! I figured that they could truck them in a lot cheaper than that!

So, I went to the bigger grocery store today and browsed the produce department. They had a huge selection of produce -- because it is summer, after all. But, everything was drastically higher than last year. Most veggies were between $1.69 and $2.99 a pound. I normally would pay about half that in the summer.

I am planning to keep adding to my garden all summer until it's too late to grow stuff. We are just planting most things, and we only have one main harvest because the season is short up north. But, I figure I can save hundreds of dollars by planting my own food.

Normally, I just grow tomatoes, beans and a little corn. This year, I ordered a large heirloom seed package from Baker Creek, and we are trying most of the things in the can. For most of the plants, I am planting half of the seeds from each packet and saving the rest for next year if I need them.

I know this probably is more a gardening thread, but I wanted to put it here because I think having a huge garden this year is more of a survival thing for our family. The prices of everything have gone up enough that we are teetering on the edge of our own personal SHTF.

Is anybody else expanding their garden? I am putting about $100 into my garden, and I am hoping to feed my kids most of the summer with what we get. (Wish me luck.)

P.S. I am extremely lucky that my kids like veggies!

 

[Allamakee County]

You bet. Our garden has always been for fun in the past. Now it's for real. Still tiny by most standards, but we're taking things very seriously. We doubled the square footage of our garden, and then I asked to use a piece of garden that a recently divorced neighbor was leaving lie fallow, and he said yes, so that nearly tripled our garden space. I hope everything does well. The early crops have been great. I need lots of tomatoes and potatoes and onions to get us through.

 

[michiganmom]

I used $30 of my garden budget to buy some garden fence. I am growing my squash, cucumbers, and melons on fence this year to make better use of the space I have. My "Crockett's Victory Garden" book says that's the way to go, so I hope it works for me.

 

[Grandad Prepper]

We're using "The New Square Foot Gardening" method for the third year. We doubled the size this year and will do the same next year. This method also uses vertical fencing to grow squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and other vine veggies. Butternut squash does great this way. Good luck with your garden!

 

[Bulldog 6]

Have already replanted every square foot. Had things do poorly or drown out with the early constant spring rains [read that flooding]. Will continue to keep planted/replanted as long as possible. Have already marked area to increase garden size by 400% for next year.
In retrospect I wish I had wrote down specific store prices for produce early this year and compare to prices I am expecting late in 2011. Go'in to be people go hungry as these prices continue to increase! Trying to figure out where to set aside area for dent corn for livestock grain. Prices for grain continuing to go up rapidly as well. Parents have already planted savoy cabbage and broccoli seed for late season plantings.

 

[Old dude]

I added about 200 square feet of raised beds and bought a half-dozen chickens this spring. My concern was really more about food quality than price, but either way, it's working out.

 

[Crutch]

Absolutely. My garden is our pride and joy. We are going to have probably 200 pounds of butter nut squash. At 1.50 a pound my savings make it well worth it.

 

[BeerandGuns]

MM,

Good to hear about the expanded garden. Are you able to grow much during the winter up there? What was the $100 spend on to expand the garden?

Here's a link concerning the economics of it

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organi...ographic-home-gardening-in-the-us?hpt=hp_bn11

I'm expanding for the Fall garden. Never seems large enough. \

 

[TheClosetGeek]

My wife and I went from one bed last year to five this year.

No flowers, all veggies. We're learning to can as well this year.

Take a look at a ' three sisters' garden. Apparently it is a north american native method of companion planting of corn, beans and squash. We have a 4 x 8 bed devoted to this experiment this year.

Also we have built two potato condos with a third one planned for next week.

Best of luck!

 

[michiganmom]

I used $30 on fencing, $7 on parts for my tiller, $37.99 in greenhouse veggie plants from some local growers, and the rest was seed trays, Miracle Grow potting mix, and seeds. I guess it was probably over $100, but I think I will still be coming out WAY ahead. I am using a lot of "found" things to build fencing, beds and gates for my fenced garden. It's amazing what you can use when you scrounge for materials. Thanks for the link

 

[michiganmom]

Oh, and our growing season starts after Memorial Day (except for a few things that can be planted in the beginning of May), and extends to September. Not very long, but adequate with a lot of hard work.

If we want anything during the cold season, we must either grow it in the house or in a greenhouse (which I would LOVE to have, but they are expensive to heat.)

 

[BeerandGuns]

I used $30 on fencing, $7 on parts for my tiller, $37.99 in greenhouse veggie plants from some local growers, and the rest was seed trays, Miracle Grow potting mix, and seeds. I guess it was probably over $100, but I think I will still be coming out WAY ahead. I am using a lot of "found" things to build fencing, beds and gates for my fenced garden. It's amazing what you can use when you scrounge for materials. Thanks for the link

Nice. Sooooo, when are we going to see pictures?

I was curious about the expenses to get an idea what others are spending money on for their gardens. You are right, it's amazing what you can scrounge up or make do with instead of expensive stuff. Over the last couple of years I've made one of my focuses spending the least amount possible on my garden. It's really helping maximize the savings from gardening.

 

[michiganmom]

I will put some pictures up soon, hopefully. I'm still building beds and tilling more ground. Too bad our land used to be sheep pasture. So many stinking rocks I had to get a bunch more bolts for shear pins on my tiller. But, the #2 bolts with nylon washers are about 1/10 the price of the factory shear pins.

 

[willow]

OP, good luck with your garden. It is so hot in the south with no rain that most of my garden has pretty much died. I got TWO tomatoes and a few beans. Can't keep the zucchini and peppers watered. Don't hold out much hope for them.

I have already started to think about a fall garden. Maybe I'll have better luck then.

 

[michiganmom]

OP, good luck with your garden. It is so hot in the south with no rain that most of my garden has pretty much died. I got TWO tomatoes and a few beans. Can't keep the zucchini and peppers watered. Don't hold out much hope for them.

I have already started to think about a fall garden. Maybe I'll have better luck then.

I am glad you have a longer growing season, then. Hopefully your fall garden will do better.

 

[Gullars]

The Backyard Homestead: Amazon.co.uk: Carleen Madigan Perkins: Books

I love this book!

 

[ChristyACB]

Prices through the roof here too and I expect it to get worse because of the crop losses many places. I garden using a modification of square foot and always can up my produce or dehydrate it. Saves tons of money once you get rolling. It does take a few years to amortize out the initial start up cost, particularly for raised beds where there is cost for materials. It's still worth it.

Another person mentioned 3 sisters. I did an experiment with that a couple of years ago and it wasn't a huge productive success, though they did grow well. It is just that it works best when the hills have some good spacing in between them so our modern methods of ensuring fertility and good soil get wasted a little doing that method. Block planting of those with some entertwined pumpkins...sort of a two sisters...will also work just as well and save tons of space. It is the beans that you need to be able to reach to pick that present the spacing problem.

Good luck and hope to see the pics!

 

[Grandad Prepper]

I have some pics of our square foot garden beds on my profile page, if anyone cares to take a peek......:

 

[wchancey]

This is my first year gardening in a long time , I live in Northern Michigan and have a very sandy soil , so I put in trhee 8x4 raised beds , and have been so happy this far that next year I plan on putting in another six.

I would like to have a bed for each thing that I want to grow instead of sharing with other veggies.

In hopes of getting enough to dry or can rather than just a couple of meals. Plus I am really enjoying it.

Sure wish I had been into all this survival stuff when I was younger rather than waiting until I was sixty years old , now a lot of what I want to do , I need help doing.

 

[rugster]

Best prep you can ever learn the ability to feed yourself!