2011 Backyard Garden in Lancaster, SC

by Kathy Griffin
(Lancaster, SC, USA)

I started gardening a couple years ago. I really enjoy it. Last year I decided to enlarge it and spend the summer putting up fruits and veggies from my harvest. I ended up with 72 quarts of green beans that I canned, 48 quarts of canned tomatoes, corn, and okra (soup mix), 66 quart bags of frozen okra (rolled in cornmeal ready to fry), 60 quart bags of frozen tomatoes, 40 quart bags of frozen corn, homemade jelly from blackberries picked behind my husbands workplace, strawberry jelly pick from a local farm in Fort Mill, tons of pints of pickles from cucumbers, okra, squash, zucc's, etc.

We have eaten from our garden all year. We also have venison in the freezer. We average 9-11 deer each year which is processed and frozen. I have lowered my grocery bill from $200 - $225 per week to less than $400 per month.

The food is so much better. I can barely tolerate eating veggies in a can purchased from the grocery store. They taste terrible! I will attempt to post some pics of the garden. God blessed us with a bountiful harvest this year. Note: No fertilizer is ever used. I make compost from left over foods and leaves.

Comments for 2011 Backyard Garden in Lancaster, SC

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Mar 19, 2012
 Watering
by: Anonymous

I watered the old fashioned way which took a lot of time. I used a hose and a sprinkler head that sprayed the water like a easy rain. After getting the plants dampened I would then change the setting of the sprinkler to spray a stream of water the furrows only. My daddy used to tell me that if you water the furrows the roots would reach down and out to get to the water. That way, they grow deep in the ground making a stronger plant. I started watering about 6 in the afternoon and would water for about 2 hours, row by row. I would water until the water was left standing in the furrows like a little river. I try to never distrub the soil around the stalk of the plant. Just old fashioned gardening learned from my dad many years ago.
Mar 19, 2012
 water for garden
by: BW

Great story .....how did you water your garden?
Mar 17, 2012
 Homemade Composter
by: Kathy Griffin

Hubby built it from a 55 gallon drum and hog wire. It works great. I looked at ones online and they were pretty expensive. So, he made me one.
Mar 17, 2012
 Compost
by: Lisa

That's awesome. Did you make your own compost or purchase one?
Feb 15, 2012
 Great News!
by: Sue Merriam

Congratulations on such a great gardening effort! You're an inspiration to aspiring gardeners everywhere.

Keep up the great work, and here's hoping 2012 is an even more bounteous growing season!

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