The anticipation mounts as I think about summer and fresh local produce. There is nothing better than homegrown tomatoes with Italian dressing sprinkled on them. Or fresh out of the garden cucumbers topped with a little salt.
Now that we are settled in our house and I'm not pregnant, I've thought about putting in a small garden in our back yard. My parents and some friends had one last year and they really enjoyed it. I like the option of planting things that I know we like and will enjoy throughout the summer.
However, I'm not an expert on gardening like my father-in-law and really don't have any knowledge about it. Last year was our first experience with a lawn and flower beds and it proved to be very enjoyable.
My other option is to be involved in a local farm co-op or CSA (community supported agriculture). I would pay a share and then pick-up whatever was harvested that week. The only downside to this is there isn't much variety, especially early in the season.
Any gardeners want to give some tips?
2 comments:
To be honest, we've done both for the past three years...planted our own small garden, and taken part in a CSA. They both have their benefits, but I think that the CSA was a better fit for us...we use City Fresh, and really had a lot of variety over the summer and well into the fall (for an awesome price!), but were sick of tomatoes, peas, and summer squash from our garden after a while, and had to force ourselves not to let it go to waste. Maybe it'd be better if we had a bigger area for a raised bed? This summer, we're sticking to just herbs in the garden and our CSA...mostly because our baby is due smack in the middle of July and I don't see myself our there tending the garden as much as I've been able to in the past. But really, I'm in love with CSA and farmer's market season. Carrying home fresh armfuls of produce and having to find recipes for veggies that I've never tried before makes me pretty happy. :)
I planted a small amount of veggies in containers and a few herbs. I have looked in to a co-op and that seems like a great idea! Hey also I wanted to recommend that you check out southern savers for coupons-it's a website that you could enjoy-let me know what you think! It shows you how to coupon for the best price with weekly sale fliers! It gives you all the directions on how to get things for the smallest amount. Also it has a check list for what you should pay for items!
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