For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
give those roots some space
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Did you know tomato roots can extend as far as 3 feet deep? That's why, if you plan to grow tomatoes in pots, your best bet is a half whiskey barrel to give those roots room to roam. (Depending on the barrel, this can range from 20 to 26 gallons.) I see a lot of people trying to grow tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets and while that's an economical and easy way to go, it doesn't let the plants reach their full potential. Those kinds of buckets work great for cherry tomatoes and other determinate, bushy varieties. But your coveted Brandywine and Cherokee Purple and other indeterminate varieties? They'll go as deep and as tall as you let them! Which is another reason to go bigger: There's more room for proper staking of the tomato plant and less risk of it getting too top-heavy for the container. A larger container also means you don't have to water as often, especially as the roots start to fill the container. So how do you know how much room your other plants need? Seasonal TipsFeeling that food inflation...I just read an article this week that food prices were 2.9% higher in January compared to the year before, and are predicted to increase by 3.1% over the next year. Which is why I'm overseeding my crops this year, cooking at home more, preserving what I can, and doing my best to compost as little food as possible. What?! I know, that sounds counterintuitive. But in my experience, we end up wasting more food than we should because it's easy to rationalize that it's okay if it goes in the compost. But what if you learned how to use up every edible part of the produce you grow or buy, so that less of it is wasted? And I'm talking about actual, nutrient-dense, super tasty vegetables and herbs here, not leftover food scraps like potato peels. This is where The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook can help. I go over how to prep, cook, and eat typically discarded items like radish greens, squash leaves, and the dark green ends of leeks, and even share mix-and-match charts for turning your "scraps" into delicious pestos and soup stock so you can maximize what you have. Use this as your summer cooking guide. ⬇️ And hopefully it can help take a bit of the sting out of your next grocery trip! P.S. Don't squeeze your plants into pots that are too small—find out how much space their roots need so you can maximize your harvests. P.P.S. Amazon's Big Spring Sale is happening right now through March 31 and I've rounded up my favorite deals here. (Pro tip: Also check your "Saved for later" list to see if anything is on sale.) If you're not an Amazon Prime member, sign up here for a free 30-day trial to take advantage of the deals. |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."