Garden Salad

I’m not a big plan ahead person.  I’m working on that.  Owning a business has really made me stretch my organizational and planning skills.  But I’m still not one to plan out the week’s menu and have each ingredient on hand.  I’ve learned to have a pantry well-stocked with basic ingredients – flour, sugar, pastas, chicken in the freezer, that kind of thing.  I also have dried herbs and spices on hand.  But fresh ingredients are trickier.  Life gets busy.  Peppers get wrinkly, carrots a little too flexible.  Invariably, I go to the crisper and the lettuce is not crispy.  It’s been in there a few days too long, looking limp and not very appetizing.  One of my favorite things about having a small garden is being able to walk out my kitchen door and grab a handful of ingredients, simple things like lettuce or kale or spinach, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, herbs – and voilà, salad!

Having fresh vegetables right outside the door can be as uncomplicated as carrots or peppers in a Smart Pot® or salad greens in an old washtub.  Raised beds are so easy to construct, super easy to maintain, and can significantly reduce a family’s grocery bill from spring until late fall.  And really, traditional, in-ground gardening can be pretty low-maintenance, too.  We’re so excited to be offering organic vegetable transplants from Julia Laughlin of Prairie Earth Gardens this spring.  We will still have lots of healthy vegetable and herb transplants from Prairie Wind Nursery and Red Dirt Plants.

If, unlike me, you are a planner, it’s a great time to organize a planting schedule of your favorite vegetables and fruits.  Here’s a Garden Planning Guide from OSU Cooperative Extension Service.  Here’s another easy to understand planting guide from Robert Stell of Sunrise Acres, long-time, local farmer and vendor at the OSU Farmers Market.  And, if your gardening plans are more spur of the moment, just drop by the store and we’ll help you pick out a few things to grow.