Garbage in the Garden? No, it's added nutrition!

Thanks to rosym over at sxc.hu - beautiful!

THIS is what I'm waiting for! I want bowls and bowls and kitchen counters FILLED with tomatoes. Then, I want my freezer filled with tomatoes for the winter!

But, to get there, I'm turning to my friends who are much more experienced in the garden. Earlier this spring, I found an article from my friend Marie Anne St. Jean over at In the Garden with Sow and Sow. MA had written about using egg shells to start her tomato seedlings a few years ago. That led to a discussion on Facebook. Jaipi Sixbear added that she always places a whole egg in the hole with her tomato plants.

Now, these ladies have been gardening for more than a couple of years and I appreciate their wisdom. So, while Harry and I didn't start our own seeds this year - and I'll be saving back seeds from this years crop for next year - I did follow Jaipi's advice about the egg.

I've done some digging around and found out there are a few other great uses for eggs and another kitchen scrap in the garden. To read more about what I've learned regarding kitchen scraps and the good that can be done for my garden, read "Sustainable Home Farming: Kitchen Scraps Improve the Soil"

With four black thumbs, why would we try to grow a garden?

We tried to make a go of The Wright Taste this year, but Harry's work schedule is more important. I can't possibly ask him to roll out those cinnamon rolls after he's been inside that hot factory all day. That doesn't mean we still won't support our local farmers markets. After all, there's a much larger variety than what we could ever hope to produce.

I guess we aren't complete black thumbs. We have managed to grow a few tomatoes and last year's cucumbers were a huge success. We can easily search the net and ask more experienced gardeners for advice. But, there are several reasons we want this garden to be successful.

In our advanced years, we've been embracing more sustainable food sources. We've also become rather snobby when it comes to the produce to be found in the middle of winter. After my success with processing tomatoes for the freezer last year, we were reminded in the middle of winter how good a spaghetti sauce can taste when it's made from home-grown tomatoes.

Freezing takes some time, but I can do it without adding salt. If our tomatoes grow properly, I won't have to buy a single can of tomatoes ever again. The cost savings will add up, and it's one more thing that we will do to reduce our carbon footprint.