I love getting garden photos from One Hundred Dollars a Month readers! Not only is it fun to see all the garden photos but I love that we can all glean a bit of garden inspiration from each other too!
Leanna sent in these awesome photos of her vegetable garden that’s growing in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York. Leanna and her husband Dave enjoy living in the country. They are surrounded by many lakes and hillsides with many acres of vineyards.
Here is what Leanna had to say:
I come from a long line of serious gardeners. I helped my folks with theirs, and when I married (28 years ago) it was a natural for me. Only a few years in that time I did not have a garden because life was busy with kids, and I have easy access to produce at a local auction. However, there is nothing like growing my own ‘stuff’ and knowing what goes into it.
A while back I suggested to Dave, my husband that I would like to try raised beds. I did the research but he wouldn’t do it for me. He thought I should be satisfied with my traditional garden – a worked area of soil where I planted things in rows, like my mom and grandma always did it. I continued gardening that way, while at the same time reminding him that I would like raised beds. I think he got tired of me talking about it and researching it.
One year he had a local saw mill cut boards and made me 5 – 4 x 8 ft beds – probably thinking I should be satisfied and would find out it’s not so great afterall. Well – 4 years later I have a total of 18 beds – and the other day he was talking about adding another row next year. While I love my raised beds, I did remind him that instead of having 5 kids at home to feed, there are only 3 at home anymore (although our daughter and son-in-law will benefit from the extra produce in our gardens).
Dave continues to add improvements to the gardens – including drip lines for easy watering, mulch between the rows instead of grass, a garden shed, composter and table.
The garden shed is a story in itself. We needed a major bathroom remodel in our 100 year old farmhouse. I told him he didn’t need to get me a birthday gift – he could hit 2 birds with one stone by remodeling for my birthday. The morning of my birthday I looked out the window – and there was an outhouse sitting in the lawn. I got a new bathroom for my birthday! The outhouse is my garden shed and I even benefited from a new remodel job. He built the outhouse with ‘junk’ he found around the farm. His only expense was the nails he bought to put it together.
This year we will benefit from the following produce: rhubarb, celery, tomatoes (lots of them), cukes, potatoes, onions, green beans, zucchini, a variety of peppers, and a nice selection of herbs. I have lots of empty canning jars in my cellar waiting to be filled with some home-grown goodness.
So far I either direct seed or buy plants at local greenhouses. We live in an area where there are lots of greenhouses that sell bedding plants at reasonable prices. Maybe I will need to convince Dave that his next project should be building me a small greenhouse to start my own plants.
Blessings –
Leanna
Mavis and Ryan Visit St. John Bosco’s Church and The Family Renewal Shelter
A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!
~Mavis
If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:
- Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so, show me some picture of how you are going about it.
- Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
- Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
- Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
- Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.
If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.
Go HERE for the official rules.
Madam Chow says
I am in mourning. Within 24 hours, the squirrels destroyed all of my tomatoes.
Madam Chow says
Leanna, how do you protect all those beautiful beds from critters???
Leanna says
I have been fortunate that the critters don’t bother the beds. Squirrels find my bird feeders more inviting. Had one groundhog but they don’t stand a chance around our farm. The woods behind the beds is actually a steep ravine, so deer are not a problem there, although we do have deer. My biggest problems in the garden are the cat that goes crazy with the catnip and black swallowtail caterpillars at the fennel.
JAMES R. says
black swallowtail caterpillars = fish bait(catfish mostly,carp & other bottom feeders like them too)
fish are also good for your garden(bury 1 small fish with each plant you grow…gives them a good head start over those plants that are not given a fish at planting time.
Groundhogs are great eating too! I usually cook mine like a roast…both tender & delicious!
Mavis Butterfield says
Booooo! How sad Madam Chow. 🙁 Sorry to hear they got them all.
JAMES R. says
Hmmmm, they destroyed your maters did they?
Sounds to me like there’s a dinner in there somewhere….maybe a squirrel stew?
I can tell you from experience, that squirrel stew is delicious if it’s cooked right.
Don’t like to hunt? then a hawk or other bird of prey would be the next thing in order….
Not trying to tell you what to do, just offering ideas.
Leanna says
Leanna. What a nice garden. Just wanted to say hello since it is rare for me to find another Leanna.
Have a great 4th of July. Thank you Mavis for sharing.
indio says
that’s a beautiful garden. the soaker hose set up is quite intriguing. I’ve been thinking about putting one in but wanted to switch the tube in between beds so it wasn’t watering the ground. You’ve inspired me to put some thought into it and get a water efficient set up installed this year.
JAMES R. says
here’s a thought:
run a water line(cpvc pipe, pvc pipe or just regular garden hose) to the area where your raised beds are underground….when you get to the beds,bring the line up to the top of the bed, & do like Ms.Leanna has done. when running the water line between beds, run it underground so that way you don’t trip over the lines; it looks nicer; and it only has to be just a few inches below the ground.
With my raised beds, I used garden hose that others threw out/did not want any more….these recycled hoses, I buried about 3 – 6 inches underground. when the hoses can no longer hold water, I’ll replace them with more recycled hoses.
Leanna says
Our neighbor sells greenhouse supplies, so we have easy access to all those things. We bury the pipe that runs to each bed (a few are not finished since we are still in process of adding some of the beds). Each bed has a valve so I can control what gets watered. We also have a pump built into the line so we can feed liquid fertilizer to the beds.
JAMES R. says
Ms.Leanna.
You have a beautiful Garden! Thank you for sharing your garden with us. 8=)
Ruth Martin says
Lovely gardens Leanna! Great seeing them win the featured spot, they sure deserve it! LOL, here I know you well, (we go to the same church), but really had no idea your background gardens were so beautiful 🙂 My husband Lester still has the traditional garden style, although I do want him to try something different sometime. ~ Ruth Martin
Erin M says
I absolutely love your Lemon Verbena sign Leanna.
Leanna says
I wanted herb markers but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I spray painted a canning lid black and punched a hole near the edge. Printed the names of my herbs on poly. weatherproof 2″ labels and centered them on the lid. A small ‘S’ hook was put through the hole. And that was then put onto a plant support stake. I was pleased with the results.