The Start of The Thrifty Garden

It's always bothered me that food pantries are full of processed food. And food companies are always promising to donate meals if you buy extra packages of their food. But is it really helpful? Yes - eating something is better than starving - but it's not really helpful to feed people junk.

So, I'm starting the Thrifty Garden. I am building a garden in my backyard with the hopes that I'll be able to give away fresh (and FREE) organic produce.

Here's a look at the construction:

The first box was built. 

4 Boxes and a Fence

We ended up building four 3'x12' raised beds. It was no easy feat! Our lots slopes vertically and horizontally and our soil is heavy, heavy clay. We dug, built, dug, and did some more digging for days on end. The garden materials were quite thrifty, but the workload was not. 

We brought in many bags of organic top soil, peat moss, and compost to create the soil for the garden to grow. Then we planted the 2011 crop.

What's growing:

Strawberries (2 varieties)

Heritage Raspberries

Latham Raspberries

Fall Gold Raspberries

Black Raspberries

Blueberries (4 varieties - northsky, northland, northblue, and chippewa)

Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Watermelon

Zucchini

Tomatoes (Better Boy, Roma, and Cherokee Purple)

Mint

Basil

Chives

Cilantro

Grapes (Concord and LaCrescent)

Carrots

Swiss Chard

Romaine Lettuce

Arugula

Spinach

Onions

Broccoli

Cucumber

Sunflower

Marigolds

If that seems ambitious, that's because it is. The goal is to have as much to give as possible while still adhering to proper space requirements and soil needs.

Wish us luck!