Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Garden Update Edition

By: Brandon

Brandon — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:23:21 +0000

After reading this post I went home and then to the grocery store. After checking out I decided that I’ll definiately grow a garden next summer.

Thanks for the motivation.

By: A.M.B. A.

A.M.B. A. — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:08:33 +0000

Jenn @ FrugalUpstate posted August 13 on what to do with green tomatoes. Gardens! Love ‘em…

A.M.B.A.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:44:28 +0000

I am thinking about doing a garden next year so love this post and the comments to help me get started. Do have a tomato plant that produced some great fruit and a hot banana pepper that just flourished. I will also try the marigolds but boyfriend rigged some netting over it.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:06:34 +0000

Trent,
Thanks for the Marigold tip. I’ll try that next year.

By: Trent

Trent — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:18:25 +0000

Mac: none at all, actually. We spent a ton of time prepping things just before we left. We invited our neighbor to pick anything that looked fresh during the week we were gone, but that was all.

By: Mac

Mac — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:58:44 +0000

I’m wondering how much assistance you needed in order to have your garden maintained while you were on vacation.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:43:33 +0000

i have a question for your mail bag. i just finished my MBA got married and started a job last month, we have 50K in student loans (30K at 1% and 20 at 6%) about 15K in credit cards (all at 8% or below) and 2 car payments (both at 8.25%) my question is what do we pay down first, and what do we not worry about , we already transfered some of our credit card debit to a 0apr card. any advise would be GREAT!!! thank you!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:31:19 +0000

My grandparents and parents’ plants must be doing well – we keep getting free tomatoes and green peppers.

Can’t wait until we move to our new home next year – we’re going to reserve a little spot for a vegetable garden and are thinking of planting a fruit tree or 2 as well.

By: luvleftovers

luvleftovers — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:46:48 +0000

My tomato plants are dying from a fungus caused by a lot of rain in early spring.

*big, sad sigh*

By: Kristen a.k.a. The Frugal Girl

Kristen a.k.a. The Frugal Girl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:41:44 +0000

A vole is steadily eating my plants. So far a tomato plant and a pepper plant, plus several flowers are gone. Sigh. Stupid vole.

By: Trent

Trent — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:28:34 +0000

Tony: do you have marigolds around your tomatoes? That’s what we do to keep away a lot of pests.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:17:40 +0000

I’ve got stupid caterpillars eating my tomatoes. Anybody know a good way to keep them off the vines?

By: Mister E

Mister E — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:17:32 +0000

Sounds good.

I’m just a little ahead of that in Toronto, Ontario, I’ve had the first fruits off of my beefsteak and plum plants as well as tonnes of cherries.

Jalapeno’s and chili’s have been harvested several times and I’ve had about a dozen cucumbers with several more ready to go. My beans have been exhausted.

Not bad for a container garden on a balcony, I think.

By: Cheap Like Me

Cheap Like Me — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:15:11 +0000

Our garden, too, is coming into its own (in Colorado). But it will likely not be finished until mid to late October. Got to keep my fingers crossed that our butternut squash will get ripe — we’ve been pummeled this summer by searing dry heat and then dumping rain.

By: Lynnae

Lynnae — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:01:29 +0000

Sounds like our gardens are in about the same place right now. We have tons of cherry tomatoes, too. Nothing tastes better than fresh, home grown tomatoes, IMO!

Thanks for the mention!

By: clint

clint — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:34:27 +0000

We are just now starting a garden in our married life. we had one every year as I was growing up but for some reason we have never got around to it lately. But we have been taking a good hard look at what it can do for the kids working skills and what it can do to help us live a debt free life. with the cost of everything these days if you can grow it yourself you can probably save a ton of money. We have also been buying local foods and the ones that are “in the season thereof” or the ones that are ripe and ready to eat the day you pick them. this has helped a lot with the cost and also the taste…who would have thought that a peach could taste so good. or an apple would be so tasty, and so cheap. we paid 39 cents a pound for apples and the peaches and they through in a 40 pound box of “seconds” on the apples that we are going to share with friends and dry.

Life is good when it is a debt free life.

Thanks for the great post.

Clint Lawton

http://www.a-debt-free-life.com

By: Frugal Dad

Frugal Dad — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:30:16 +0000

Thanks for the link, Trent. I’d say The Simple Dollar has been a pretty good ““side hustle.”

Our square foot garden was largely a flop this year, but we’ve had another summer of incredibly hot, dry conditions. I’m going to have to improve my irrigation system next spring, or opt for a more hearty variety of fruits and vegetables.