One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1576 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

DIY Potato Towers and an Update

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By Mavis Butterfield on May 30, 2013 · 21 Comments

Back in March I put together 3 potato towers {How to Build a Potato Tower} and with all the rain we’ve been having lately, the potato towers have really taken off. Potato tower # 2 in the center seems to be doing the best.

Potato Tower #1 – I covered the potatoes with 6 inches of dirt. My plan with tower #1 is to add additional dirt {but no more potatoes} as the potato leaves begin to pop through the soil.

So far I have added one layer of dirt {about 4 inches} to encourage new growth.

Potato Tower #2 – I covered the potatoes with 6 inches of soil, then added 5 more potatoes. I ended up doing this 3 times. Someone had suggested I try this method to see if it would grow more potatoes.

Much to my surprise, this tower is doing the best. Instead of adding soil to top of the tower when the potato leaves reach about 8 inches, I’ve been adding grass clippings about once a week. Kind of weird I know, but it seems to be working.

Potato Tower #3 – This tower was planted with alternating layers of potatoes, dirt, potatoes, straw, potatoes, dirt. Again, someone suggested this growing method because it had worked for them.

Finally I am starting to see progress in this tower. Although there are potato leaves popping out the sides, there is still no sign of anything growing beneath the straw at the top of the tower.

These potato towers are total experiment for me. Last year I tried growing potatoes in towers and failed miserably. But I think it was because I placed them to far away from the house and they didn’t get enough water. I am actually a little surprised at how well they are doing so far this year and I’m hoping we can get a decent crop out of them.

If not, we do have potatoes growing in raised beds to count on.

Gardening is an adventure and it’s fun to try new things, even if they don’t always work out the way you had planned.

How about YOU? Are you growing anything in towers this year?

~Mavis

To find out how I built my potato towers go here: How to Build a Potato Tower

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Meet Mavis at the Mother Earth News Fair in 3 Days!

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By Mavis Butterfield on May 29, 2013 · 5 Comments

Only 3 more days until I’ll be hanging with my gnomies at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, WA from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday June 1st. Is it on your calendar yet? It should be. And not just because you get to meet me and my online boyfriend Ryan from Botanical Interests.

It’s also a great way to get in on the Send in the Gnome Project. Not only will I be collecting gnomes there (saves money on shipping!), but you can also adopt a gnome right then and there and even make a cash donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Plus you get to hang out at this cool fair:

The Mother Earth News Fairs are family-oriented, sustainable lifestyle events, packed with hands-on workshops and demonstrations on renewable energy, small-scale farming, green building, organic gardening and more.

Come on out and say hi, get all educated and maybe even get in on some charitable giving. I want to turn the Mother Earth News Fair into gnome man’s land! You with me?

See you there!

~Mavis

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Spinach and White Bean Soup

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By Mavis Butterfield on May 29, 2013 · 5 Comments

If you have a bunch of fresh spinach in your garden and you are looking for an awesome recipe, this spinach and white bean soup is mighty tasty. I whipped this up the other night and served it with Irish soda bread and got rave reviews.

Here is the recipe. I hope you like it, we sure do.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 {16 ounce} cans white beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and sliced thin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

In a large saucepan saute the onion and celery in oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.

Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds {just enough to brown it} and then stir in beans, chicken stock, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 12- 15 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean and vegetable mixture from the soup and set aside. With an imersion blender, blend the rest of the soup in the pot until well semi-pureed, then add the reserved beans and vegetable mixture back to the saucepan.

Bring to a boil, and then stir in the spinach and cook for 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve warm with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

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How to Grow Pumpkins {Start to Finish}

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By Mavis Butterfield on May 29, 2013 · 12 Comments

Are you growing pumpkins this year? I’m hoping for a bumper crop to help towards my goal of growing 2 tons of fruits and vegetables in my backyard. The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird loves to grow them for her friends and I love to grow pumpkins for decorating the front porch with.

Pumpkins are super easy to grow, just remember you need about 90- 100 days of warm weather to grow them. We typically harvest ours around mid October.

Brief description: Pumpkins are part of the gourd like squash plant. Depending on the variety, it can be used for tons of things from jack-o-lanterns to pies.

Where to Plant : Plant pumpkins in a sunny location with good soil. Pumpkins need a bit of space, so a garden bed works best.

Planting Seeds: Mound surrounding dirt into little hills and plant 3 seeds, about 1 inch deep per hill. Even though most seed packets say to space pumpkins 4-6 feet apart, I have always spaced them about 3 feet and never had a problem with crowding. Make sure to place a plant marker right next to where you plant so you know where to water until seedlings emerge. Once seedlings pop through the soil, you will need to thin them with scissors, leaving only the strongest one per mound.

Growing Tips: If you have the space, I totally recommend growing a variety of different pumpkins. They are super easy to grow and basically just need sun and water. Plus, kids love them, so they are a great way to get them involved in gardening.

How to Harvest: Cut or twist pumpkin off of the vine, leaving enough of the vine for a stem.

Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.

Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!

~Mavis

Here are a few of my Favorite Pumpkin recipes:

Individual Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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