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One Hundred Dollars a Month

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.


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Friday Night at the Movies – Fresh

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Tonight, I am going to watch Fresh.  It’s another food documentary that looks at our food production methods.  It also shows farmers and businesses that are trying to make changes that would have a positive impact.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of these.  It always invigorates my gardening goals.

If you decide to watch it, let me know what you think.

fresh

Amazon Prime Members can watch Fresh for free.

Let me know what you think if you decide to watch it–or if you have already seen it.  Did you love it? Hate it? Can’t wait to watch it over and over?

Looking for more movies?

Check out the full list of my Friday Night at the Movies Selections or click on over & look at all the movies on Amazon Instant Video. There are a ton of videos to choose from that will cost you absolutely nothing {nada, zilch, free-o} with Amazon Prime; like thousands of regular movies & TV shows & hundreds of documentaries {Wahoo!}. Get all the details HERE!

Peace out Girl Scouts & have yourself a great weekend,

~Mavis

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

How to Grow Asparagus {Start to Finish}

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how to grow asparagus

If you are thinking about growing asparagus, early spring is the time to do it. I was at my local nursery yesterday and spotted asparagus crowns selling for $1.99 each. They are a little pricey up front, but asparagus season lasts 6- 8 weeks and a well maintained asparagus bed can last up to 20 years.

Brief description: Asparagus perennial spring vegetable and is typically harvested between March and June taking 3 to 4 years to produce once you’ve planted the crowns.

Where to Plant Asparagus: Asparagus prefers full sun and can be grown practically anywhere. It does best in light soil with good drainage.

asparagus crowns

How to Plant Asparagus:

  • Dig a trench 12″ wide by 6″ deep
  • Mound soil in the center of the trench and place crowns on top
  • Space crowns 12″- 18″  apart, in rows 4′ apart
  • Back fill trench with soil, covering crowns with 2″ of soil
  •  Add soil every once in a while until the soil is slightly mounded around the base of the plant.

How to Harvest: Asparagus can be harvested for 6 to 8 weeks during spring. To harvest snap the asparagus when it reaches about 8 to 10 inches above the soil line {before the buds have opened}.

Once the asparagus starts to slow down and is not producing as well, stop harvesting.

regional planting guides

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 asparagus recipes

Asparagus with Balsamic-Butter SauceAsparagus with Balsamic-Butter Sauce

grilled-asparagus-with-pine-nuts-recipeGrilled Asparagus With Pine Nuts

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Top 20 Edible Flowers – From Garden to Kitchen

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Top 20 Edible Flowers

Did you know that some flowers are edible?  And not just in the “they’re not poisonous” sort of way, but actually tasty?  You can use them in salads, teas, garnishes, ice creams, etc.  The one trick is knowing which flowers are safe to to consume and which will leave you crying on your bathroom floor begging for a quick death–so, here’s my top 20 safe, edible, and mostly delicious flower choices:

  1. Nasturtium
  2. Angelica
  3. Anise Hyssop
  4. Bachelor’s Button *
  5. Bee Balm
  6. Calendula/Marigold
  7. Carnations
  8. Chamomile *
  9. Chervil
  10. Pansy
  11. Chysanthemum
  12. Clover
  13. Dandelion * {eating ’em puts a whole new spin on ‘weeding’}
  14. Fuchia
  15. Gladiolus *
  16. Hibiscus
  17. Impatiens
  18. Jasmine
  19. Lavender
  20. Lilac

“Only the petals of these composite flowers are edible. The pollen of composite flowers is highly allergenic and may cause reactions in sensitive individuals. Sufferers of asthma, ragweed, and hayfever should not consume composite flowers, and may have extreme allergies to ingesting any flowers at all.” ~ Source HomeCooking/About.com

The Incredible Edible LandscapeIf you are thinking about incorporating edibles into your landscape, check out the book The Incredible Edible Landscape by Joy Bossi. It’s packed with tips!

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Wood Pallet Gardening – Lettuce, Strawberries and Celery

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wood pallets

If you are short on space, or don’t have the time to dig a proper garden, or just think pallet gardening might something fun to try, I have put together a Pallet Gardening 101: Creating a Pallet Garden guide this tells you what to look for in a pallet and how I set mine up.

This year I have 6 wood pallet garden set up. So far 5 of them are planted.

wood pallet garden

The first pallet I planted was endive lettuce. Lettuce is one of those awesome crops you can grow outside pretty much as long as there are not freezing temperatures.

grow strawberries in a wood pallet garden

Last week I planted some of our extra strawberry crowns in a wood pallet. I grew strawberries in a recycled wood pallet last year and they did great.  This year I spaced the strawberry plants out a bit more because the plants produced so many runners it was crazy.

Hopefully by starting with fewer strawberry plants in the pallet {only 16 this time} there will room for the runners to plant themselves in the open spaces of the wood pallet.

wood pallet gardening

Romaine lettuce is pretty much and essential crop for anyone who loves Cesar salads.

grow lettuce in a wood pallet garden

More lettuce.

recycled wood pallet garden

And celery! Last year I grew celery in both my raised garden beds AND recycled wood pallets and the celery thrived in both places. In fact the celery may have done better in the pallet because I had placed the pallet in a shady area of the garden and if there is one thing celery loves, its shade.

Whether you plant your vegetables in a traditional plot, exclusively container garden, or grow your food in pallets, having a garden is just plain cool. I can’t imagine a better hobby than growing your own food.

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy