Thinking about starting a garden this year? More and more folks are, with the state of the economy, the ability to afford quality food for our familes, and all the ‘junk’ in the food supply!

Gardening is a labor of love! Love of our family and our desire to feed them well and enjoy quality food!  Not only does gardening result in excellent food, of the best quality, it is a learning experience for the whole family that develops knowledge & skills that are useful for a lifetime!

We’ve raised vegetables, fruits, & herbs in huge gardens, small gardens, raised bed gardens, container gardens….you name it!

This year,  we will be growing our herbs and veggies in containers. We are moving to a new homestead, and with repairs, building and raw land (not to mention a short growing season)…putting in a large scale garden, as we hope to do next year, is more than likely out of the question.

So…we will plant in containers.  No, not any fancy schmancy ‘garden center’ pots. We’ll take the frugal route and use old bakery and deli buckets with holes drilled in them.

Of course, any containers will do. 

If they are free and do the job, they’ll work-they may not “look
 super pretty”, but then again-we’re not waiting on the folks from Better Homes & Gardens to show up…Backwoods Home, maybe…lol.

Another route is larger sour cream (think Costco size here) or ice cream containers!  Another frugal option if you or folks you know have cats, ask them to save their large plastic kitty litter buckets!  We’ve found at local grocers bakery and deli departments they have tons of those white ‘food grade’ type buckets (some even with lids, which is a great option for food storage–but that’s another post!)  and they are more than happy to just give them away! 

Just be sure to drill holes in the bottom and you’re set!  We’ve also used old tires for containers, they work great stacked to plant potatoes too!  Old tires just clog landfills, most folks are all too happy to have you just haul them off–no charge!

Don’t have room for containers or raised beds, much less a full scale garden? A few pots on the patio, in your windowsill or using your flower beds along the house to plant edibles rather than flowers will do just fine too! 

“Somethin’ is better than nothin’ and if theres a will, there’s a way” I always say…

Happy gardening!

Lisa