Use this simple practice to save big money in your garden

Author

Lisa
June 13, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Good morning,

Ever wonder what the best part about summer is for gardeners? It's harvest time, of course! Those early summer vegetables you've been patiently tending are ready to be picked, bursting with flavor and a reminder of the joy of homegrown produce.

CHERRY PICKED - JUST FOR YOU

Harvesting rainwater is a practice done for thousands of years by our ancestors. And with consumers facing higher water costs, it might be time to trace your roots and apply these traditional water conservation methods.

NATURE’S CALLING

There are 4 days left until Eat Your Vegetables Day

GARDEN SPOTLIGHT

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BRANCHING OUT

Like all plants, pepper plants come with a list of common problems that you have to be ready to deal with. They’re no strangers to pest infestations and nutrient deficiencies, for example. Keep reading to learn what to look out for and how to remedy any situation that comes up.

Everyone knows that it’s a bad sign when plants start turning yellow! It gets even worse when it’s a garden plant that you’re expecting to harvest fresh veggies from. When you start to notice the color of your bush bean’s leaves changing, you’ll need to step in to find the cause so that you can turn things around.

Marigolds are a favorite flower of many gardeners. Not only do they bring beauty to the garden, but they are also well known to be great companions to our plants, especially for repelling common pests. So why are you finding that your marigolds are being eaten by something? While they deter many pests, there are some animals and insects that actually like to munch on them.

DAILY DOSE OF DIRT

Challenge: The Seed-Saving Sleuth!

This week's challenge is all about dipping your toes into the world of seed saving. It's a fantastic way to become more self-sufficient in your garden and a fun way to connect with the natural cycle of plant growth.

Here's your mission:

Pick a superstar! Identify one of your thriving early summer veggies. These are typically easier to save seeds from than some other plants.

Let it linger! Instead of harvesting all the veggies at once, allow a few plants to mature a bit longer. You'll see them start to flower and then produce seed pods.

Seed Sleuthing: Once the pods look dry and papery, do some research on the best way to harvest and store seeds for your chosen vegetable. There might be some drying time involved!

Seed stash! Following your research, carefully harvest, clean, and store the seeds. Label them clearly with the variety and date.

Remember: Don't be discouraged if your first attempt isn't perfect. Seed saving is a skill that develops with practice, and you'll learn a lot along the way!

GARDEN TOOLS

Stay on top of all things gardening with a personal garden planner.

MORE TO GROW ON

Plant spacing is an important thing to pay attention to. Some of our garden veggies, like cabbage for instance, really need their space. That doesn’t mean that you need to limit how many plants you grow though; you can use an alternate planting method or you can continuously plant throughout the season so that you can harvest more heads of cabbage.

Normally I wouldn’t be telling you to get rid of a lovely herb, but there are times when you might need to. Let’s look at the mint plant for example. I personally love growing mint, but not everybody knows that it will spread out of control and takeover a large area! Mint is best planted in a container… to contain it. So, if you’ve made the mistake of planting it in the ground and now you are panicking about how to deal with the rapid spread - this one’s for you.

NEVER STOP GROWING

Want even more gardening tips to transform your thumb from brown to green? Browse all past newsletters to unearth some hidden gems you might have missed the first time around. Completely free and available 24/7!

UNTIL NEXT BLOOM…

As always, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this newsletter! Question or comments - just reply.

Happy planting!