Whether you’re a novice home gardener or have curated quite the green thumb over the years, we can always learn a thing or two when it comes to getting the most from your home garden. Perhaps you started a home garden in your efforts to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, and maybe it was a financial gain that prompted you to grow your own; no matter your motivation, let’s look at how you can get even more from your home garden this summer.
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Plan Ahead
They say that luck favors the prepared, and this rings true when it comes to home gardening. Make sure you’re planning your garden before you begin planting. From maximizing your space, investing in perennials (plants that will come back year after year) to planting high yield crops – all these must be considered. Taking the time to plan how to make your gardening efficient and fruitful will pay off. Nothing is more frustrating than investing a ton of tender loving care into a broccoli plant that only turns to seed. Know your level of gardening skills and take that into account as well. Additionally, if you’re limited on space, it’s good to plant items that you can’t easily purchase from a grocery store or farmer’s market.
Budget Your Investment
Being smart about your garden is another way to get the most out of your home garden. On top of yielding fresh produce, you can truly save money by being smart with how much you invest in your garden. Please make your compost, which is not only a sustainable way to keep your plants healthy since you’re not wasting every kitchen scrap, but it’s advantageous. Saving your seeds is another way to budget your home garden smartly. By saving seeds, you won’t have to invest in crops you want to grow in the following years. You can even use urine or grass clipping as free fertilizer. Explore every area you can to save money for what you produce.
Be Prepared To Store
You may be surprised at how much of a bounty just a few containers of the crop can grow, never mind the harvest if you’ve got a couple of raised beds in your backyard. Be prepared to store what you grow and get creative with what you do. Have herbs and spices on hand like coriander seed, black peppercorn, and cinnamon for pickling. You’ll want plenty of mason jars for all the fresh salsa you’ll make with your jalapenos and tomatoes. You can also extend your crops by freezing them immediately after harvesting or learning how to dry out and store the fresh kitchen herbs you’re cultivating. And, who doesn’t love a dried apricot or a banana chip? While there’s a learning curve to drying your vegetables and fruits with a solar or electric dehydrator, it’s a great way to extend your produce, not to mention a nice change from canned goods.
Turn A Profit
Depending on how much crop you’re growing, you can turn the fruits of your labor into some serious income. Virtually all towns and cities have some version (or several) of a farmer’s market. Even the most rural small towns have a vegetable and fruit stand – some with an honor system box for cash remaining unmanned through the day. In addition to selling the physical product, you may also have a knack for making the best salsa anyone’s tasted, perhaps it’s fruit jellies and jams. Whatever your skill is, if you have the time and interest, it’s worth it to try and profit from all your hard work. Maybe you’re not that enterprising of an individual, in which case you could opt to trade some of what you grow for items you’re looking for or services you’re in need of.
Growing a home garden can be daunting, especially in your first season or two. But, after plenty of practice and utilizing the knowledge of friends or the internet, it becomes for most people an exciting hobby. On top of all that, gardening is fantastic for your physical and mental health. With the cost of so many things rising, there is no time like the present to start your home garden and use the above-mentioned ways to get the most of it! Now, get growing!
