Winter Gardening?

Did you know you can have a garden year round? Now, you might not want to plant corn inside, or you'll have stalks up to your ceiling... but there are several things that are great for planting in your house. Here is a chart that provides basic information on container/indoor gardening:

AND DON'T FORGET THOSE SPROUTS & HERBS -
THEY TAKE UP VERY LITTLE ROOM!

Keep your plants near a window, preferably on a south facing wall...(More heat & more light)


GROWING VEGETABLES IN CONTAINERS:

1* Vegetable Name

2* Light Requirement (see FS/PS info below)

3* Minimum Container Size

4* Distance (inches) between plants in container

5* Days from Seed to Harvest

6* Comments

----------
FS = Full sun
FS/PS = Full sun/Part shade
PS = Partial shade
------------------------------

Beans, bush
FS
2 gal.
2-3"
45-60 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Beets
FS/PS
1/2 gal.
2-3"
50-60 days
Thin plants when 6 to 8 inches tall

Carrots
FS/PS
1 qt.
2-3"
65-80 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Cabbage
FS/PS
5 gal.
12-18"
65-120 days
Requires fertile soil

Chard, Swiss
FS/PS
1/2 gal.
4-6"
30-40 days
Harvest leaves for long yield

Cucumbers
FS
5 gal.
14-18"
70-80 days
Support vining types

Eggplant
FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
75-100 days
Requires fertile soil

Kale
FS/PS
5 gal.
10-15"
55-65 days
Harvest leaves

Lettuce, leaf
PS
1/2 gal
4-6"
30-35 days
Harvest leaves

Mustard greens
PS
1/2 gal.
4-5"
35-40 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Onions
FS/PS
1/2 gal.
2-3"
70-100 days
Require lots of moisture

Peppers
FS
2 gal.
1 plant per container
110-120 days
Require hot weather

Radishes
FS/PS
1 pint
1"
25-35 days
Several plantings, weekly intervals

Squash
FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
50-60 days
Plant only bush type

Tomatoes
FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
55-100 days
Stake and prune or cage

Tomatoes,
cherry
FS
1 gal.
1 plant per container
55-100 days
Helps to stake and prune

Turnips
FS/PS
3 gal.
2-3"
30-60 days
Harvest leaves and roots

TOO MUCH ZUCCHINI???

I read about one lady who did her first garden & planted 10 zucchini hills... Do you know what that produced? A whopping 16 bushels of zucchini!

Maybe you didn't end up with THAT many, but here are a couple of ideas for using up what you have left, after your neighbors finally tell you to stop donating it to them :)

If what I've shared here just isn't enough, then feel free to visit this site FULL of zucchini recipes!!!

www.basic-recipes.com/veget/zucchini.htm

----------------------------------------------
DEHYDRATED ZUCCHINI:

SHRED ZUCCHINI OR CHOP INTO SMALL PIECES, & LAY EVENLY ON DEHYDRATOR TRAYS. LET DRY TILL FAIRLY CRISPY, & STORE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER FOR FUTURE USE IN SOUPS, BREADS, PIZZA TOPPING, ETC...

----------------------------------------------
DEHYDRATED ZUCCHINI CHIPS:

CUT YOUR ZUCCHINI INTO THIN SLICES & LAY EVENLY ON DEHYDRATOR TRAYS. SPRINKLE LIGHTLY WITH SEA SALT OR YOUR FAVORITE SEASONING (BBQ, HERBS, LEMON PEPPER ETC...)
LET DEHYDRATE TILL SLIGHTLY CRISPY (THEY MAY STILL BEND JUST A LITTLE). STORE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER & SNACK AWAY!

----------------------------------------------
CARROT/ZUCCHINI PIZZA:

YOU'LL NEED A PIZZA CRUST (I'LL TRY TO POST A RECIPE LATER, BUT FOR NOW, JUST 'GOOGLE' IT :o)

ON TOP OF YOUR CRUST LAYER IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

PIZZA/PASTA SAUCE (WHATEVER TASTE YOU PREFER)
MOZZARELLA CHEESE
SHREDDED CARROTS
SHREDDED ZUCCHINI
LIGHT SPRINKLE OF SALT & PEPPER (OPTIONAL)
A TINY BIT MORE CHEESE

BAKE AT 425 FOR 15-20 MINS...
(UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED & TOP BEGINS TO BROWN)

*I'M THINKING NEXT TIME I MAKE IT I'LL ADD A LAYER OF CHICKEN TOO!
IT MIGHT EVEN BE YUMMY WITH FRESH RANCH DRESSING INSTEAD OF PIZZA SAUCE! MMMMM!!!!!

----------------------------------------------
CRUSTY TOP ZUCCHINI BREAD:

1 C. BUTTERMILK OR SOUR MILK (ADD 1T. VINEGAR TO REGULAR MILK)
1 1/2 C. BROWN SUGAR
2/3 C. OIL
1 LARGE EGG
1 1/2 C. SHREDDED ZUCCHINI
1/2 C. FINELY CHOPPED NUTS
1 TSP. SALT
1 TSP. BAKING SODA
1 TSP. VANILLA
2 1/2 C. FLOUR

TOPPING:
1/2 C. SUGAR
1 T. MELTED BUTTER
1/2 TSP. CINNAMON

COMBINE LIQUID INGREDIENTS... ADD SIFTED DRY INGREDIENTS...THEN ADD ZUCCHINI & NUTS.
MIX WELL. POUR INTO 2 WELL GREASED LOAF PANS.

COMBINE TOPPING INGREDIENTS & SPRINKLE ON TOP.

BAKE AT 325 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 40 MINUTES. (DON'T OVER BAKE)
WHEN DONE BAKING, REMOVE BREAD FROM PANS AFTER 2-3 MINUTES & COOL ON RACK.

(YOU CAN LINE THE LOAF PANS WITH PARCHMENT PAPER ON THE BOTTOM, THEN GREASE THE SIDES FOR EASIER REMOVAL.)

Great Weed Killers?

Did you know that SALT will kill your weeds and prevent them from coming back? I had no clue but read it on several other websites tonight! The weeds in our yard are competing with our grass BADLY! I'm gonna try it!

There was a warning not to "salt" your neighbor's lawn though, because it works so well that you can get charged with vandalism! How crazy is that! It also said not to spread it where you will be planting things in the next few years, because it kills & prevents almost everything for a very long time. So I guess the best places would be sidewalks, driveways, rock gardens, etc...

Another great weed preventer I found out about is Corn Meal!!! Actually, it's a seed preventer, so anything that hasn't sprouted yet won't grow. But if it's already growing & past the seed stage, you're good to go.

Back to Basics

I think any person from Adam & Eve up until us modern people were the luckiest! Whole all natural foods. No preservatives, no refined junk, no fake stuff... Just good ol' healthy meals (& snacks) all cooked from scratch & preserved in the most natural ways.

Maybe my tad bit of jealousy is what has resulted in most of my cook book shelf now consisting of health foods, natural foods, whole foods, grain recipes, pioneer & food storage recipes, etc... Mmmmmmm!

And, I guess the satisfaction of walking a few feet out to my own backyard garden & pulling up fresh organic veges... is not only a great feeling of accomplishment, (and a bunch cheaper than the grocery store)... but OH SOOO Yummy!!!