A swegetreadytogardenthisspring,itisbringingbackmemoriesoflastyear,whenwesawemptysupermarketshelves,abitofafood

scarcity,andareturntovegetablegardeningformanyofyou.That,inturn,createdemptyseedracksandanewemphasisonsavingseeds.

Wehopeevenmoreofyouwillbegardeningin2021,andMasterGardenerswanttohelpyoulearnhowtogrowallthatfoodinawaytohelpyourbudget.Besuretocallourclinicwithyourquestions.Weareheretoserveyouwithfree,science-basedinformation.

Beginwiththesoilyouhaveandenrichit.Therearemultiplewaystodothis,andmanyareabsolutelyfree.MakingcompostwithkitchenscrapsisasimpleDirststep.Ifyoudonothaveacompostpilegoing,putthatonyour'todo'listforsure,butfornow,burythosecarrotpeelingsdeepinyourgardenarea.

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Frugal Gardening Can Produce a Rich HarvestThere are many ways to cut your expenses without compromising crop quality.

byDianaPietiforYakimaValleyMasterGardeners

Master Gardeners have learned to recycle many waste products to grow their plants. Here, a simple one-use plastic yogurt cup, becomes a free pot for starting a tomato. JIM BLACK PHOTO

For information on the Yakima County Master Gardeners Program:https://extension.wsu.edu/yakima/home-garden/master-gardeners/

Digaholeoratrenchandaddthepeelings,cover,andinjustafewweeks,theywilldecomposeandyouwillseewormsthatnotonlyatethem,butprovidednutrient-richmanure.YoualsomayDindmanureavailablefreefromareafarms.Usechicken,cattleorhorsemanure,anddigitintothegarden,butdon'tapplyittogrowingvegetableswhenfresh.CheckCraigslistforpossiblesources.Neverputanymeatscrapsintoyourgardenorcompostpile.

Duringthespringandsummer,addyourlawnclippings,andduringthefall,addtheleavesyouhaveraked.Bothofthesecanbeworkedintothesoilslowly,butfornowusethisasmulchalongsideyourplantsasaweeddeterrentandtohelpholdmoisture.

Digthisintothesoilalittleatatime.(But,donotuseyourlawnclippingsifyouhaveusedaherbicideorotherchemicalsonyourlawn.)Otherfreeadditivescouldincludecoffeegroundsfromareacoffeeshops,shreddednewspaper,andoftenourlocallandDillhasfreecompost.CallaheadtoconDirmat(509)574-2450.

Seeds can save you money

Growyourowntomatoandpepperplantsfromseeds.Usewashedyogurtcups,eggcartons,orcreatewonderfulpotsfromnewspapers.Theyareeasytomake,andonlyrequirethepapers,scissorsandasmallcansuchasonethatcontainedtomatopaste.SearchMakingNewspaperPotsonYouTubefordemonstrationvideos.Besuretopunchholesinthebottomofplasticpotsandotherholdersthatdonotpermitwatertodrain.

Seedscanbeexpensive,sobeginbywatchingforsalesatthelocallevel,andbrowsefornurseries

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online.Beawareofapproximatelyhowmanyseedsareincludedorwhatthepackageweighs,andalsobemindfulifyouorderisonline—theremightbeshippingcharges.Seedsshouldbedatedforusein2021,butmaystillbeviableifolder.Makethistheyearyoulearnhowtoproperlyplant,store,andsaveseeds.

Whenyouplanttinyseedssuchasradishesorcarrots,takeyourtimeandtrytospaceeachseedoutperthedirectionsonthebackofthepackage.Ifyoucrowdthem,youmightDindyourselfthinningoutthebabiestomakeroomfortherootsnexttothem.

Ifthishappens,donottrytopullthemout,becauseitwilldisturbtheplantsyouwanttoleave.Instead,takesmallscissorsandsnipthetopsoff.Usethetinyradishleavesonyoursandwichesorsalads,andsnipthetinycarrottopsintoyoursoup.Noneedtowastethisgoodfood.

Experiment

Plantyourfamilyfavorites,butincludecropsthatcangiveyoumore.Manyvarietiesoflettucemaybecutwithnewgrowthfollowing.Useaknifeorshearstocutwhatyouwant,thenwaitforanewcropfromthesameroots.

Cilantrotendstobolt(gotoseed)inoursummerheat,butthenithasaDlowerthatyoucaneatonyoursalad—orletitproduceseeds,whichiscalledcoriander.

Allcilantroplantpartsareedibleandseedscanbestoredforcooking.Thesameistrueofchivesandgarlicchives.Snipthemtoaddtoyourmeals,butthebloomsarealsoedible.Rootvegetableslikebeetsandturnipshavetopsthatcanbeeatenaswell.

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Don'tforgettokeepthingsgrowingallspringandsummer,thisiscalledsuccessionplanting.Whentheradishesaredoneproducing,plantsomethingelseatthatspot.Readthebacksofseedpackagesforgoodinstructionsandnotehowlongittakesasecondcroptomature.

Moresuggestionstosavemoneyincludebeginningaseedswapamongfamily,friends,andothergardeners.Createyourowntrellisesfromprunings,andusethosetrellisestogrowupwardtosavespaceforotherscrops.Takefulladvantageofareastoplant,includingcontainersandtheparkingstripifyouliveintown.Getyourcompostbinstartedbyusingrepurposedmaterialsyoumightalreadyhave,suchaspallets,fencing,andoldboards,orbargainwithothersforpossiblesupplies.Useeducationalresourcessuchasthelibraryandonlinesitesthatinclude“gov”or“edu”intheextensionforthebestinformation.AwonderfulgardeningsiteatWSUishttp://gardening.wsu.edu/vegetable-gardens/.

Or,callourofDiceat(509)574-1604oremailatgardener@co.yakima.wa.usforhelpwithanyofyourquestions.Enjoyalltheamazingfresh,healthyproduce,andifyouhaveanabundance,sharewithfamilyandfriends.

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