How to Plan a Garden

February 03, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

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  There is nothing better than eating fresh, flavorful food grown from your own garden. When you take a bite of your first summer-sweet strawberry grown in your own backyard, you'll know exactly what I mean. This is what strawberries are supposed to taste like. Their flavorful, juicy bursts of goodness will bring a smile to your face. Grocery store produce that's been stored in a cooler for months, with its bland taste and waxy exterior, just doesn't compare to what you can grow at home.
• Unfortunately, many of us have absolutely no idea how to go about planting a garden. As many would-be gardeners have discovered, it takes more than just a bit of dirt and some water to grow award winning produce. Here are a few tips to help get your garden blooming in no time.

• Decide what kind of foods you like

• The idea of planting foods that grow easily is tempting. But if you don't like what you plant, then you won't eat it. Ask your family what kinds of fruit and vegetables they like, and plan from there. Also, check if those plants will grow in your area. A great resource is the USDA's plant hardiness zone map.

• Find a good location for your garden

• Once you know what kind of plants you can grow, you will need to find a place to establish your garden. Make sure that it gets plenty of sun and adequate water.

• Prepare your garden's soil

• Your plants will have their best chance of being successful if they are planted in rich soil. There are many ways to amend your soil. Compost, fertilizer, and potting soil amendments are just a few of your options. Find the option that works best for the produce that you are planting. Various websites, such as this one, offer suggestions to help you get started.

• Follow Instructions for Planting Times and Depths

• All plants have different planting and growing seasons as well as specific depths that the seeds need to be planted. Make sure you follow the directions on the package.

• Start Small

• If this is your first garden, don't over do it by planting every type of vegetable known to man. Choose a few you like and start there. You don't want to overwhelm yourself with too much to manage the first year. Make it enjoyable. If you want to expand the next year, that would be the time to do it. 

• Consider Fruit Trees

• One last tip is to consider planting a fruit tree or two. Trees are a great option because they only need to be planted once, but they continue to produce fruit year after year with minimal maintenance.
• Gardening can be an entertaining hobby that pays for the time you spend by providing you with cheap, high quality produce. If you're willing to make the commitment and do your research, then you too can enjoy the bounty of a homemade harvest from you very own backyard!

How to Plant Garlic

February 02, 2018 The Provident Princess 0 Comments

I am really excited to share this post today. It's all about how to grow garlic at home.

Growing your own garlic is so easy! Anyone can do it. Seriously.

Have you ever had some store-bought garlic so long that it started to sprout? Perfect, you're halfway there. If you just stick that clove in the ground and it will grow into a head of garlic next summer.

Now is the perfect time for planting bulbs; flowers or garlic. Anytime after the weather turns cooler in the Fall is a great time to plant. You just need make sure you plant before the ground freezes. Luckily, with how weird the weather has been this winter our growing/planting season has been extended.

Charlotte and I spent a wonderful morning in the garden and it was so fun having her help me with the planting. Though of course she just wanted to dig them all out afterwards.




Directions:
All you need is a head of garlic from the store. Just the regular kind you buy to cook with.

Break apart the head of garlic to get the individual cloves. One clove will grow into an entire head of garlic next year. One of my friends brought me home some popular garlic from a recent trip to California. I'm really excited to plant it. It's been so hard not to use it all because it is so delicious, I hope it grows well here. Fingers crossed.

You only want to plant the biggest ones because they will yield the biggest crop next year. Just save the small ones to use in the kitchen.

Go out to your garden and turn the earth under. Basically just loosen up the dirt and add in any compost you might want to.

Once your dirt is turned over, dig holes 6 inches apart all the way around and about 3-4 inches deep. If you don't have raised garden beds you might want to think about leaving space for a walkway depending on how many cloves you plant.

I use a stick like this to dig. I feel a little like a cave woman digging in the dirt with a stick but hey, it works. And Charlotte loves it too.


Next stick your garlic clove in the ground with the point sticking up. You will want the top of the garlic about 2 inches from the top of the dirt once you fill it in. And, doesn't everyone garden while juggling a baby? Charlotte is learning young.

 
Cover and repeat for all remaining cloves.  I like to dig one hole at a time because my dirt is really loose and falls back into the holes easily making it harder to go back and stick the cloves in. But you could dig all your holes first, then stick in all the garlic cloves, then cover all at once.

You're done.

See what did I tell you? Easy! And you'll love cooking with your homegrown garlic next year.

Tips:

• you may want to put a layer of mulch like leaves over the dirt to help insulate the garlic over the winter.