How I love it when my garden looks like this! There is nothing more I can do out there, so out there I rarely go. Bliss.
I do have a few rutabagas under ground leaves and a snow covered row cover, and a few daikons under leaves and snow. One of these days I'll go get them. I've been told they should be fine.
This is the time of year the-reaping-of-rewards is the biggest of very few garden-related activities that I do. My freezer now contains, along with beef stew, ratatouille, frozen beans, berries, several fruits cut up muffin-sized, and other thaw-heat-and-serve food items, almost all of which I grew myself in that tiny garden you can see above. While I'm stuck in the house because I can't get my car out of the garage for all the snow, feeding myself will be a breeze. That's a very good thing, because my second year of homeopathy studies will begin mid-January. The first year sucked up my life! Joyfully! At this point, I am dreading it, but I know once I get on that luge, I will go happily along.
Not only do I have prepared foods - frozen, canned and dehydrated - I've got root vegetables in a back closet of an unheated room, which all did very well last year. This past week was turkey soup week. Turkey broth one day led to turkey soup the next, wherein I used up all my smaller sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips. I had the onions and garlic in my stash, too. A couple snips of fresh rosemary from my windowsill, a few stalks of grocery-bought celery, and I made myself a good dozen servings, six of them now frozen, of delicious and nutritious turkey soup, all for the cost of a few stalks of celery. That does not suck.
Moral - grow your own and money won't be a problem anymore.
This is my entry to Hive Garden Community's monthly garden challenge for December 2025. Come show us yours!
I had this playing for background music as I wrote this. Glory!
All two images are mine. A two shot garden post! My kind of garden post!
My brother and I were saying the same thing this evening as we sat down to a delicious bowl of vegetable soup made entirely with our homegrown produce, plus salt and pepper, food is almost free when you grow your own. In addition to all the stuff we have in storage, I'm still getting mustard frills, coriander, mizuna , lettuce, February Orchid and parsley from my magic dome. No snow here thank goodness. I was snowed in for a week last year for the first time in my life and let me tell you, I did not like it.
Last winter here was awful too. For a solid month, it would snow, thaw, and freeze so that you could skate on it, the cycle repeating a few times. I couldn't walk outside at all, without risking a very bad fall. I got those spike things for the bottoms of my shoes just to get out to my car. I have never hated a winter before this last one. Damn global warming!
You have lettuce! I am so jealous! I had a beautiful crop growing indoors a month ago, until aphids. I want a dome. I haven't figured out how to put one here, but maybe on the asphalt somewhere. hm... Or I could move, but I love it here.
Bloody aphids. I'd never even heard of aphids until I started gardening.
You need a tiny dome for a tiny garden...
I've tried a lot of tiny things, and they tend to blow away, or collapse, in the least gust. I need a bigger yard. I have one, 100 acres of one, a three hour drive away, but I'm not there often enough to tend to anything, and it's in NY State, a communist state, so I'm not keen on digging myself in even more here.
I've been wanting a greenhouse. Like the old ones in Europe. Stone foundation, glass, wooden framing. Germans used to keep chickens in there too - fertilizer, and bug control.
More and more lately, finding broccoli, cauliflower, or any grocery-store produce is harder and more expensive. Mold, or just limp veggies that didn't survive the plane, ship, or truck ride to get to Aldi or Sam's or WalMart.
Perhaps the solution is to move to Fairfield, IA.
One Of America's 'Most Unusual Towns' Is A Unique, Scenic, And Progressive Destination In Iowa
By Lilly Paltsev Nov. 23, 2024
Touted as America's most progressive city, Maharishi Vedic City was meticulously developed according to the principles of the Veda, ancient scriptures written in Sanskrit that form the basis of the Hindu religion. In addition to teachings about the nature of existence and the importance of religion, the Vedas provide insightful guidance about how to lead a balanced and healthy life.
The city plan was based on an ancient system of architecture known as Vastu, which is based on natural laws and takes into account the various planets in our solar system and human health from a Vedic perspective. The creator of Vastu is a Hindu religious leader named Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was famous for introducing Transcendental Meditation (TM) to the Western world and combining Vedic knowledge with modern science. The Beatles were some of the most famous followers of Maharishi and practitioners of TM.
According to Vastu, buildings and homes are constructed based on the latitudes and longitudes of Earth and must align with both the North and South poles and the equator. The purpose is to restore harmony and balance, create optimal conditions for meditation, and encourage creativity, health, and good fortune. According to Vedic City Planning, this style of architecture supports the betterment of society by creating a protective barrier to both inner and outer stress, which they say reduces the risk of crime and natural disasters.
In Maharishi Vedic City, everything is built according to the sun's movement. The houses face east, and the streets are aligned in a north-south, east-west direction with trees all around. The city has sustainable infrastructure and is powered by solar energy and other renewable sources, with all buildings constructed out of natural materials.
You'll want to stock up on the locally grown organic fruits and vegetables readily available at the city's markets and enjoy the many nature trails for hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, and picnicking. The city is also home to several famous destinations worth visiting. The Raj Ayurveda Health Center and Spa is a renowned 100-acre wellness retreat that specializes in holistic Ayurvedic treatments with packages that range from 5 to 21 nights.
Astronomy enthusiasts must pay a visit to the Maharishi Vedic Observatory, a breathtaking open-air observatory consisting of large stone sundials that allow you to observe the cosmos as early civilizations did centuries ago. You can also pay a visit to the Maharishi International University campus, a non-profit university that offers both unique programs like Sustainable & Regenerative Living, Consciousness & Human Potential, and more traditional fields like Mathematics, Physics, and Creative Writing.
Read More: https://www.islands.com/1716519/one-america-unusual-towns-unique-scenic-progressive-iowa-maharishi-vedic-city-destination/
I remain unconvinced that gardening saves me money. By the time I buy seed, soil amendments, plants, replacement hoses and sprinklers that wore out, and pay the outlandish water bill, I really question whether I have saved any money. Furthermore, I now have to hire help from time to time to get the bigger jobs done. But everything tastes better out of my own garden, so I keep doing it.
lol. Same here! My garage is full of gadgets and gizmos I thought I needed: cold frames, squash arches, organic fertilizers galore, to name a few. All expensive! I buy yards of soil every year (where does the soil go?!). Soil to start my seeds in. Seeds are the very least of my expenses, and some packets last me a lifetime. In winter time, when I am not spending money, and eating for free, it seems like I've saved some money.
That's a good point!
I like the idea of preserving food for enjoyment over the winter (without the price tag), but I always find an excuse not to do it. This homemade stew is inspiring and delicious looking.
Thanks for stopping by! The soup, while rather plain looking, was very good. I will be delighted to have it on the coldest of winter days.
It does look like delicious comfort food.
My parents used to do that when I was growing up and here and there through the years I also grew "some" of what I enjoyed in winter, but I no longer have a garden, so I buy most things unless someone had an over abundance in the summer and shared. It's always so much better when it is home grown and stashed for winter.
Your snow and your soup look fun and delish.
My mother and her cousin grew and preserved a lot of foods. For many years I bought absolutely everything, but when it started to look as if I would be denied access to my money (covid con, unjabbed) I started growing my own food. A big unexpected benefit has been that I am healthier!
It's not quite free, because there is a lot work involved. But the work is outside, in the summer and for that I am grateful. I don't often has excess, but when I do, it's fun to give give give. This year I gave peaches. To everyone.
I wish you a space you can grow food in, if only a tiny bit.
Rutabaga I had to research as never heard of it, turnip I know and enjoy. This really is something different to cook and consume, it sounds and looks healthy.
You did well with your small garden being able to keep much for the winter months, well worthwhile growing your own.
I'm surprised at how much I have stored from this little patch of ground. Not enough to feed myself fully (wish I could have chickens), but a good half of my fruits and veggies come to me from right outside my back door.
Poultry can be quite a handful looking after, we had chickens and duck as children, family had to do certain chores keeping clean and fed, was not in great numbers either more about being suburban.
I had chickens for quite a few years in my last home. The best thing about chickens is their poo. I had quite the fertile ground in that place. Here, I have to work hard to get fertility going.
Chickens for fertilizer - and for pest contol!
They eat bugs!
Our earthworms, I'm told, are not native to North America, but we now rely on them to aerate soil in every state on the continent.
New, now: a lookalike worm, NOT the earthworm, which is destroying forests.
Asian jumping worms: a threat to gardens and woodlands (has good close-up photos) | Ohio State University, 2020
Bring on the chickens! Let them eat worms!
There was acid rain. then gypsy moths. loosestrife. Bad weather. Now lanternflies, worms, and knotweed. Always something in nature we should be battling, and never in the entities that insist we do battle. Usually government supported in some way, so we do battle with ourselves. Nifty little trick called slavery. Question everything! It's much more interesting than unthinking belief.
We had chickens when young, poo cleared added to compost heap then turned for the fruit trees and veg gardens no waste.
Young farmer of chickens, we met through friends. Turned poo into full time business, he was a millionaire within a couple of years, something not done here in 1970s large scale.
I wish he were operating here! I would love to buy some.
That's a good moral to have. I love using stuff ive squirreled away. Just about to put the garlic harvest in honey. Not much else to be done really - I have a new garden to build first and it takes time.
Lol I was complaining about the cold here this morning. I think I'll reframe it as unseasonally nippy, and put some clothes on.
I'm thinking about leaving this house, and would hate to start all over again. It's debatable as to how much money is actually saved, even in the long run.
What really??? Why?? You know gardeners though - they can't help themselves. I love the joke about how the tomato once grew only cost 2,400 dollars worth of soil, compost, mulch etc.
My house is too big, and my yard is too small. I love them both though. I've made them mine, and no one else's. Kinda weird. I've spent a small fortune on my garden here. My goal was to show that we don't need acreage to support ourselves in food.
I was thinking as I read this that you and @deirdyweirdy should compare notes. Then I saw her comment. Of course!
I'm too lazy. I waited too many years to pick up the practice of growing my own food. I hope I can talk my kids into it. A more secure way to live.
As for the snow...no!! I can't take it anymore. It's just a dreary mess for me, and an impediment to movement.
Congrats on the garden and self-grown produce.
Thanks! I am proud of myself, if only for knowing how to grow some food.
If winter is like that, what do you do to your garden?
Not much. This year I ground up leaves and covered the three raised beds with them. I spread whatever compost I have around my fruit trees and straw. I leave the rest of the leaves whereever they fall. Then I let it all freeze and take a few months off.
You grow so much food in a small space - you are amazing!
I'm on several acres (much of it wetlands and woods, the rest sand or clay), and I've bought truckloads of black dirt, but if I do manage to grow anything, rabbits and bugs get it before I do.
This photos is SOOOO classic. Never have I seen garden beds look so bed-like! I can picture Peter Rabbit and his siblings under the covers (a snow cover, here).
Shared at X (Twitter) and Facebook. :)
Oh man will I be famous now?