Gardening

If you've been in a grocery store lately, you know that prices have been rising across the board and there are still supply chain issues that have not resolved themselves. I went to the grocery store the other day and picked up a bag of groceries that cost me less than $40 a couple of years ago.  I paid $65. 

So, what can I do to fix the situation? 

It's time to plant a garden.

I am a very half-hearted gardener, but it looks like I'm going to have to buckle down and make it happen this year. I have a really nice herb garden. And I grow a lot of lettuce and kale. They're easy and fairly low maintenance. Jalapenos grow well for me, as do plum tomatoes. But everything else has failed miserably for one reason or another. I usually end up buying a couple of bushels of my favorite produce at the farmer's market and then process that for use later - either by freezing or canning.

But this year? It feels like a year when I really need to buckle down and get the produce coming in as best as I can. I need to put some vegetables in and make certain that they grow and that I can harvest them. I've actually been thinking about this for a while now.

I'm still going to put in lettuce and kale. I actually eat a lot of kale when it's a matter of going outside and pulling a few leaves out of the garden.  And lettuce? I eat a salad almost every day for lunch when lettuce is in season in the garden. But I feel like I need to plant more that I will be able to freeze or can.

Looking over my notes from years past, this is what will be going into my garden this year:

peas

plum tomatoes

green beans

winter squash

zucchini

kale 

lettuce

radishes

jalapenos

broccoli

cabbage

I am still planning on getting produce from the farmer's market that I can process and set aside for the winter. But this little patch should provide us with enough fresh produce to keep us healthy through the summer AND have the added benefit of helping to cut our grocery bills down a bit.

I'm still looking through my seeds and I'm getting ready to put some seeds in a cold frame in the garden. Who knows? I might toss some extra vegetables into that tiny little plot this year!

What about you? If you're planning a garden for this year, what are you going to plant?