A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other people’s pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!
Hi Mavis,
My name is Linda, and I live in a rural community in upstate New York. I’ve been gardening for close to 40 years, and I still learn something new every year.
My husband and I purchased our home in 1972, and over the following few years added fruit trees and different kinds of berries to the property. Currently, we have three apple and two pear trees and lots of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and elderberries. I’m not always successful with strawberries, but did manage a good harvest from my plants this year.
Over the past few years, I’ve been saving my own seed for the following year’s garden. I have a small greenhouse, and grow all of my own plants. I enjoy seeing pictures of other people’s gardens, and decided to send a few of mine.
This picture is taken from my back door. The daylillies surround our pond, and the lavender, which is just beginning to bloom, surrounds our well platform. The chicken coop houses my 9 pet chickens, 8 hens and one rooster.
My garden is enclosed by a 4′ fence mainly to keep deer out, but that beautiful boy in the pictures loves ripe tomatoes, so he has to be kept out also. Barney discovered fresh tomatoes on the vine about five years ago, and he beat me to them way too frequently. He can accompany me in the garden until the tomatoes begin to ripen.
It’s hard to take pictures that truly show the garden beds inside the fence. They are 4′ wide and 44′ long. I have tomatoes, peppers, green beans, onions, celery, garlic, lima beans, carrots, beets, cucumbers, potatoes and lots of flowers to draw as many pollinators as possible. You can see some of the bluberry bushes in the background, they are covered to keep the birds from stealing the harvest.
The cattle panels have pole beans beginning to grow up them, but it’s been a slow year for much of the garden because of all the rain we’ve had here and the cooler than normal temperatures.
The squash is planted outside the garden fence so it has room to grow. Our property is surrounded by a state forest which shows in the background.
Amish friends spent a day here building the fence for me. There were left over boards when the fence was completed, so I had my husband put them on the inside along the posts and then filled the channel with dirt to plant peas in. It works beautifully, and I harvested just over 10 lbs. of peas this year. I’m going to pull the vines as soon as I can and replant for a fall harvest.
And last, but not least, is a picture showing some of my rooster and the two German Shepherds who call this place home. They’re all good buddies, just like Lucy and your girls.
Thank you for looking at my garden Mavis. I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour.
If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop, pantry 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 Pantry Pics – Pictures of your pantry/fridge/cabinets, as well as a short blurb {at the very least} about you and your food habits.
- 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.
You’ll need to send in a Minimum of 5 HIGH QUALITY pictures and the stories to go along with those pictures. Do not send in a couple of grainy photos and a sentence about them. I can’t post that. It doesn’t make for an interesting or informative story.
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. You can send your submissions to me at onehundreddollarsamonth @ gmail.com {spaces removed} and be sure and put Mavis Mail in the subject line. Thank you. I’m looking forward to your submissions.
Go HERE for the official rules.
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LynnDinKY says
Linda, I love your garden! Everything looks so well kept! Good Job!!
Carolina says
Definitely a “rock star garden” as Mavis would say!!!
Carrie says
Linda, your garden is beautiful and orderly! I am a bit jealous. My NC garden is overrun by squash bugs and aphids galore and the tomatoes are too big for their cages and have fallen over. I’m contemplating ripping out the zucchini and yellow squash and starting over. Not sure if I can get a second harvest out of them though.
Linda says
Hi Carrie,
I started planting a winter squash variety called Sweet Greek Red. I purchased my seed from Bakers Creek Seed Co. (www.rareseeds.com) several years ago. Squash bugs do not like this variety of squash, so I plant my zucchini and pumpkins with it to give them more protection. I’ve never seen a squash bug on the Sweet Greek.
I’m not familiar with growing conditions in NC, but I would think you’d get another harvest from them.
Thank you for your kind words.
Linda
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Linda. I am going to check out this variety!
Lisa Millar says
What a beautiful garden you have! You must put a lot of work into it – it looks amazing! So organised and lush green!!
I am a bit inspired to hurry the clearing up of my garden beds so I am ready for spring after seeing all that!
So funny that your dog loves tomatoes!!
Thank-you for sharing !
Rebecca in MD says
What a gorgeous garden! I cannot imagine all of the hours it took to get it to this point and to maintain it. I am in awe and envy your beautiful homestead.
Emily E. says
Beautiful garden and beautifully maintained! What a lovely view from your home as well! I especially like how everything is functional and that you also plant lots of flowers with your veggies to promote pollination. How wonderful to be surrounded by forest. Thank you so much for sharing your piece of heaven! Your pups are beauties as well!
Mary Ann says
Absolutely gorgeous! How lucky you are to live in such beauty. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Linda, your garden is amazing!! I’m in Upstate NY too {Capital Region} and have had a great strawberry harvest this year too. Happy gardening!!
Barb H says
Are you in the Finger Lakes Region? I ask because of the lush landscape and your Amish friends. I lived in Bristol for many years before moving to SC nearly 3 yrs ago. Beautiful garden!
Kristina says
Just lovely, and such a big garden! I love the idea of the stock panels. We still haven’t gotten rid of our daughter’s panels from her FFA fair project (a lamb) a couple of years ago and that trellis is just genius! One question: any tips for cooking with elderberries? I’ve got them growing wild on my farm, but I’m led to understand that parts are toxic/ they need to be cooked before eating? I’d love to pick them, but am kind of nervous about it.
Mama Cook says
Oh! Oh! Oh! Kristina! Pick those elderberries! They can be toxic if eaten raw, but elderberry syrup is known for it’s medicinal properties!!!! (Plus I’ve heard of people making elderberry pies.)
Elderberry Syrup
1 cup dehydrated berries (you could easily use fresh and increase by 1/2 cup)
1/2 – 1 cup honey
3 cups water
Boil berries in water. Strain berries saving the water. (I like to smash the berries against the seive in order to get some extra juice out.)
Mix in honey. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Usually lasts 2-3 weeks.
Take 1-2 tsp daily during cold/flu season for increased immune system.
Take up to 1/2 cup daily when sick…you will see amazing results!!!
Enjoy!
Linda says
Kristina, I do make the elderberry syrup using fresh berries and take it during the cold and flu season. I also bake elderberry/apple pie for my family and it’s very much enjoyed. Elderberry jelly is wonderful, and it makes wonderful Christmas gifts. Go get those elderberries (they are a chore to clean but my husband and I have 1/4 wire squares cut big enough to cover the top of the bowl we want to use and rub the berry clusters over the wire.
Kristina says
Thanks ladies!
Linda says
Hi Barb
I live approx. 45 minutes west of the capital region in NY. About 10 years ago eight Amish families moved into our area, we now have over 60 and seem to continue to grow. They are good neighbors and some have become close friends. The Amish near us are Old Order, so their lives reflect farm life from 100 years ago.
Linda says
Kristina here is a recipe for the Elderberry Syrup I make. The recipe was on the Marblemount Homestead page a couple years ago.
1 cup water to 1 cup hulled elderberries
1 TBS fresh ginger per 1 cup berries OR 1 tsp dried
1 tsp. cinnamon per 1 cub berries
Put above ingredients in large pan. Boil gently until reduced by half, cool and strain thru cheesecloth. Squeeze all the juice out.
Measure liquid and add 1/2 cup honey per cup of liquid. Bottle and store in refrigerator.
Take 1 TBS. each day. If sick with cold/flu take 1 TBS every hour.
I generally triple this recipe.
Debbie - MountainMama says
Oh my gosh that’s one of the loveliest gardens I’ve ever seen! I’ve been looking into making a squash arch for my tiny vegetable garden this year, and now you’ve got me thinking of cattle panels….I just have to figure out where to get some! I am also in upstate NY but have nowhere near the size of property you have, Linda – gorgeous, just gorgeous!