The past few sunny April weeks have been a gift after another long winter in Vermont. It’s a magnificent time of year when ease and lightness often re-enter the body—and our minds may turn to tending new life…and gardening!
Did you know that you can use your 3SquaresVT benefits to purchase seeds and plant seedlings for your vegetable, fruit, or herb garden? Make sure to find a retailer that accepts 3SquaresVT. By purchasing seeds or seedlings, you can multiply your benefits all summer long as you continue to harvest from the plants you are growing
Gardening comes in all shapes and sizes—whether you have a basil plant sitting on a sunny windowsill (click here for ideas on gardening in small spaces), a garden that covers your whole back yard, or a plot in your local community garden, you are GARDENING! What is your gardening style? What ways of growing food work best for your life, your home, and your body? When you grow your own food, you get to choose!
Vermont is home to a network of more than 600 community-based gardens. The Vermont Garden Network has a garden directory you can use to search for a garden near you. Also, visit the Vermont Garden Network website to learn more about how to garden on a budget.
Wondering how to garden without buying throw away supplies? Check out this article from Almanac about starting seeds in egg cartons and sour cream containers…and growing lettuce in a stack of old pallets! These are some good ways to minimize trash and garden on a budget!
Still looking for more tips and gardening supplies? Try posting on your local Front Porch Forum to see if a neighbor has unused tools, pots, or even some kitchen scrap or animal manure compost they may be itching to pass on to you! Gardening gives life and builds community and oftentimes neighbors love swapping tips, tricks, tools…and plants!
As the season changes and the temperature cools, many of us start asking “How long can I go before turning on the heat?” The cost of fuel and other utilities can be a challenge.
Summer in Vermont brings a bounty of local food. Here are five ways to stretch your food budget and eat local—get seeds and seedlings for your garden, get discounts at your local co-op, find free coupons at farmers markets, find free coupons at farm stands, and get a discount on your CSA farm share.
Anti-hunger advocates including a dozen staff from Vermont Foodbank, Hunger Free Vermont and NOFA-VT joined 900 anti-hunger advocates at the Food Research and Action Center’s National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference and Capitol Hill Day on May 6-8.
