gardening

Making a Plan Now for Your Garden Harvest

by Mandi on May 1, 2012

Garden Harvest

source: dbaron

This weekend, our frost date is finally here, and my pole green beans are more than ready to move out of their egg carton pots and into a real garden. While I planted a small garden last year, all of the veggies mysteriously died before they began to produce (I think they became waterlogged because they were at the bottom of the hill in our backyard), so this will hopefully be the first year that we have an actual harvest.

I started green beans, roma and cherry tomatoes, summer and winter squash, cantaloupe, carrots, lettuce and a few different herbs inside several weeks ago, and I also have strawberry, blueberry and raspberry plants. As we continue to look for ways to eat healthier as a family, I’m anxious to begin eating from our own garden!

Although we plan to eat a lot of the fresh produce that we pick, I also want to have a plan for what we’ll do with the extras so that we don’t end up wasting it throughout the summer when we could be sharing and saving it.

I spent the morning brainstorming with Shaina from Food for My Family about the many different things you can do to make sure none of your garden harvest goes to waste. Here’s the list we came up with:

1. Use it.

This one may seem obvious, but my plan is to begin searching for recipes that incorporate the fruits and veggies I’ve planted so that we’re not just eating carrot sticks and drinking cucumber water all summer when there’s so much more we could be doing with them.

2. Share it.

Our neighbors have been so generous with us over the past three years, bringing us tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers from their large garden throughout each summer. I’d love to return the favor by sharing some of our berries with them, and I’ll be sharing with our family as well.

3. Can it.

This is a big one, and for me it requires some preparation ahead of time because I’ve never canned before. Not only do I need to get some mason jars to keep on hand, but I also need to do some research about how to can different vegetables and a list of anything else I need to have on hand.

4. Jam it.

This one could probably go under canning as well, but I’m going to go ahead and list it as its own option. Last year, Aimee from Under the High Chair held a virtual jam swap with more than 25 delicious jam recipes. Yum!

5. Donate it.

Check with your local soup kitchen, community charities and even your church for opportunities to donate some of your extra produce to those who might not get any fresh fruits and veggies otherwise.

6. Freeze it.

Another option for many fruits and veggies is to blanch and freeze them. Jen at How To: Simplify has a complete guide on blanching and freezing, and it’s definitely a method I want to incorporate into my plan for our harvest!

7. Gift it.

Not only can you share your harvest by giving baskets of fresh produce to your friends and family, but you can also use it to make homemade gifts such as zucchini bread, cheesecake with raspberry sauce and fresh jam.

8. Store it.

Some veggies — such as potatoes, garlic, onions and winter squash — and even some fruits can simply be stored in a cool, dark place in your basement or cellar and will keep for several months without much preparation. However, I know there are things you can do to make them last longer, such as separating any bruised apples from the rest, so be sure to read through the guidelines for the produce you plan to store before you start harvesting them.

9. Sell it

I’m guessing the laws around this vary by state, but if you have a huge overabundance of produce, you may look into setting up at a local farmer’s market or produce stand to sell some of your extras.

Have you thought about what you’ll do with the extras from your garden? What have you done in the past?

Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

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Gardening for Beginners and Fall Planning

by Shaina on October 5, 2010

The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:


Last week, Jessica shared five sources to find produce when you don’t grow your own, so I thought I’d follow up with a few things you can do know if you do grow your own or are planning to in the spring. While I grew up with a garden, not everyone did, and it can be a bit intimidating to think of digging in, planting seeds or tiny plants and then expecting to care for them and get them to grow if you’ve never done it before or never seen it done in your own backyard. Fortunately, you can start small and work your way up.

I’ve found one of the easiest things to grow have been herbs. Herbs are easy to use in meals, and they are also easy to keep in chopped or pesto form in the freezer at the end of the season. You don’t need a lot of room to grow herbs, and they tend to tolerate heat well.

Limited Space?

For years I lived in an apartment, and I grew my herbs in a pot or a container. Here are a few tricks to help you start an  herb garden:

  • Use stones or packing peanuts for drainage in the bottom. This will give the roots room to grow, and it will also prevent dampening off from overwatering.
  • Fill the container with a mixture of potting soil and compost. Be sure to use new potting soil or old that has been thoroughly mixed and loosened up. Loose dirt allows herb roots to grow quickly and deeply, and this will lend itself to a healthier plant overall.
  • Plant herbs and press lightly to secure in the dirt. Water just until soil is moist, and be careful not to overwater. Water in the morning and not at night to prevent dampening off over colder, dark nights.

Big Backyard?

If you’re looking to start a larger garden next spring, there are a few things you can do right now to get ready for the next growing season.

  1. Plan the space

    Determine where you want the garden to grow and build your raised bed. This way you won’t have to wait until the ground thaws in the spring to get started, and you’ll be able to move right along to gardening instead of losing time as you build boxes or walls for your garden.

  2. Decide what to plant

    Decide ahead of time what you want to grow so you can watch for seeds and read up on what types of conditions different plants are looking for while you have time. Think about what your family will eat and what you like to grow. Some of the easiest starter plants are cherry tomatoes and zucchini. I’ve had lots of success with both of those, and they are pretty resistant to abuse by amateur gardeners.

  3. Start a compost pile

    Grass clippings and leaves are the perfect compost items. Get a bin to put them in and start a compost pile that will break down all your yard and kitchen waste and turn it into nourishment for your garden.

Do you have a garden? What are some things you’re doing to prepare for your garden next spring as you harvest this fall?

Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography, a daily contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the editor of the food channel for Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found in one of three places: cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.


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Spring Cleaning Carnival: Get Pesticides Out

May 11, 2010

Today we continue our unique take on spring cleaning with Katie from Kitchen Stewardship’s Spring Cleaning Carnival: Get the Junk Out. This week’s topic is eliminating pesticides. Head on over to Kitchen Stewardship, where Laura from Heavenly Homemakers is chatting about organic gardening and why she avoids pesticides in her own garden. Keeping my garden [...]

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