Jen from Northern Idaho Send in Her Garden Photos

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!

Check out these beautiful pictures reader Jen sent in from Northern Idaho. Jen blogs occasionally at They Call Me Granola, has four children 4 & under and has a gorgeous garden.

Here is some of what Jen had to say:

I’m so excited to see all the things I have growing. The kids and I take a garden tour every morning to check on everything. Each day brings new and exciting surprises! I’m glad to see the kids enjoying the experience so much. I think they are most excited for the raspberries and the mint.

My children all (except the baby), enjoy munching on mint, chives, sage, oregano, thyme & sweet cicely straight off the bushes throughout the day! I know, weird! 🙂 Once the lettuce is big enough, I’m sure I’ll be hard pressed to keep them out of those beds!

We’re kind of doing a “here and there” garden this year. It’s somewhat organized, but not entirely! I’m going to plop things in various places to see where it does best for next year (this is only my 3rd year gardening, and the first doing a big garden). We’re using the “Back to Eden” method as we did last year.

Our entire garden area is covered in a deep layer of wood chips which we reclaimed for FREE from a local tree trimmer! He delivered a dump truck load for $30 (for the delivery charge)! That price fit well into our rather scrawny budget!

Last year we bought 10 berry plants at about 75% off because we purchased them at the end of the season. I’m glad to say they have all survived the winter and are doing quite well! The blueberry even has blooms already!

I did start a bunch of squashes indoors this year and made the mistake of planting a bit too early. Oops. So I’ve hardened them off and put them out in their homes already. I figured they’d die in the pots, die or perhaps live outside. We’ll see how they do. So far they’ve been out a week and seem to be making it.

My onions are doing marvelous. I think I’ll plant some more of them this week. The Kale, Spinach, and various lettuces including our favorite, Arugula, are all flourishing in the mulched beds. We have the “garden” set up like landscaping all around the perimeter of the back yard, along the front porch, and in an island in the middle of the front yard.

I do have broccoli started in the front yard but I think I’m going to relocate him to the back, he doesn’t seem to be doing well in that spot. I have carrots and peas popping up as well.

I have already made jam from a HUGE rhubarb harvest from my monster rhubarb plants. It seems once the rhubarb peeks out in the spring, he just jumps out of the ground and before I know it it’s time to harvest! I disobeyed the seed packet with one of my plants and planted in a rather sandy/gravely soil, and then also placed one in well composted fertile soil.

The one in the sandy soil is doing 100x better! Who knew! The jam turned out sooo good by the way!

I really like to make my own tea so I have a pretty wide variety of mints growing in my garden. I have spearmint, peppermint, pineapple mint, and lemon balm. I dry them and mix them into a blend and store in a mason jar. I plan to plant some chamomile this year as well to add to my mix. The Sweet Woodruff is a sleepy herb (used with caution) that my husband likes to add to his tea on chilly nights.

I have already started my homemade organic fertilizer made from Comfrey… super easy… pack a 5 gallon bucket with fresh leaves, fill with water, cover with a tight fitting lid, let it sit in the sun for 6 weeks. Is packet FULL of nitrogen for the soil… and I know what’s in it!

Still in my seed box to plant… beans, sunflowers, chia seeds, more peas in the fall, radishes, lots more spinach and kale to freeze, broccoli, cabbage, and chamomile. I also have 3 bell pepper and 6 tomato plants that I purchased at the farmers market last Saturday.

I hope we all have a successful gardening season this year! Happy gardening!

DIY Chicken Coop Made From an Old Play Set

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.