This is the last of a three-part series on ways to protect your garden. Part One covered cloches and row covers. Part Two covered hoop houses. And now we come to cold frames. This is probably my favorite method for protecting the garden. Here’s why: Inexpensive and effective I’ve written about cold frames before. The…
Do you think getting prepared is too hard? Are you overwhelmed by the thought of monthly goals? Then start here with these ten easy steps and you will be well on your way to preparedness in just a few months. One: Assemble a 72-hour kit This is the best place to start. Assemble a kit…
One of the best things to come out of the garden each year is asparagus. It’s a perennial vegetable that, once established, will give you years of vegetable deliciousness with very little work. In fact, after planting your vegetable garden, I highly recommend you make establishing an asparagus bed your next priority. Small investment, big…
Since one of your goals this month is to start gardening, it’s also time to start keeping (or updating) a gardening notebook. Keep a record There’s a saying among scientists: the work’s not done until the paperwork’s done. Like a good scientist, a good gardener will want to keep a record of his/her gardening experience:…
Your goal this month is to plant a garden by the end of the month. Depending on where you live, you may have already been able to start planting cold-tolerant plants in March. But here in the upper Midwest, mid-April is the earliest we can expect to be in the garden and most of our…
You have so much good food available to you this season, now is the time to learn (or improve) canning skills. First, get your equipment Canning doesn’t need to cost a lot. Just start with a water bath canner and a box of jars. Here’s my list of the important canning tools that I use.…