It's Almost Spring, It's Time to Think about Gardening!

One of the best ways to add to your food storage is to plant a garden! Not only will you save money growing your own vegetables and fruit that you would normally buy at the store but you can bottle and preserve them for later use. I haven't bought a bottle of tomato sauce, a can of peaches,  applesauce  or jam in years! It is incredibly empowering to be able to add to your food supply each year by the the food you grow yourself, and it just tastes so much better. February may seem early to start thinking about a garden, but really it's not. And what better way to get through yet another snow day, than to plan your lustrous green garden. Since we have a shorter growing season, here in Utah, it's great to get a head start by planting inside. For example, by planting healthy tomato plants which are 6 weeks to 2 month old as soon as the danger of frost has passed, you gain at least a full month of production in  a short-seaon area. It is also less expensive to purchase seeds and grow your own transplants than to buy them later at the nursery. If you purchase seeds, choose open-pollinated heirloom seeds, rather than hybrid, you can buy the seeds only once, then harvest them each year, dry them and use for the next year, talk about self-reliance! It really is easier than it sounds, for tomatoes, all you have to do is squeeze out the seeds from one tomato, rinse and set out to dry. Store them in a cool, dry place away from light and you can plant them the following year. This only works for heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, not hybrids. I have experimented with the seeds from hybrid plants in the past and have never been pleased, if it worked, it was a freaky mutation, not at all like the parent plant, so stick to heirloom, if you want to be able to keep using your own seeds, year after year. 

There are many products out there that work great for starting transplants, but one method I've found that I really like is simply using 1/2 an egg shell with a hole poked through the bottom in an egg carton. Fill the egg shells with a planting medium/ potting soil. Plant your seeds according to the directions on the package, water and place on your window sill. You won't be able to have a 2 month old tomato plant in an egg shell, but it's a great start and works great for herbs and greens, I'd choose larger containers for tomato plants. I can't go into every detail or this post would be a mile long, there are great resources online. Extension.usu.edu is a great resource. Gardening Tips - Yard and Garden - extension.usu.edu

By the way, you can plant peas right now, as soon as the snow is off the ground. Other cold weather vegetables that can stand some frost are radishes, spinach, swiss chard, beets (not gonna happen at our house), lettuce (some types are hardier than others), cabbage, turnips, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots. Start buying your seeds, plan your garden and get started, it is one of the best ways to have the whole family work towards self reliance. Little kids love to see what they plant grow and are much more willing to eat the vegetables that they planted themselves.

God bless you in your efforts towards self reliance.