There is nothing quite as satisfying as eating food right out of your own garden.  While most people have a garden during the summer time, it is quite uncommon for people to garden during the other seasons.  Extending your growing season is a great way to provide fresh produce for your family year round.

How much gardening you can do during the year depends a lot on your climate and your budget.  If you live in the south, you may be able to extend your gardening season without too much effort or money investment.  If you live in the north, you might need to invest some money in order to be able to extend your gardening season.  Here are some inexpensive ways to help extend your gardening season.

One of the easiest and cheapest way to extend the gardening season is to purchase plastic sheeting to cover the rows of your garden.  You can find this at feed stores, or gardening supply stores.  You can also purchase it online.

Simply plant the seeds in the ground and then cover the row with plastic sheeting.  Use rocks to keep the plastic in place. Not only will the plastic warm the ground and help the seeds to grow, but it will also keep them safe if there is a frost.  Here is the tricky part of using the plastic:  you want to take it off early enough so that the plants don’t die from overheating, but not so soon that they die because of a late frost.  Some gardeners remove the plastic during the day to prevent overheating and then cover the plants at night until the danger of frost has passed.

A “lean to” can also be used to start plants during the cold winter months. To start your plants using this method, you can use plastic that has been stapled to a frame or even an old window.  First, lean the frame or the window against the house. Then, create a frame to hold the lean to in place.  I have used old pieces of scrap wood to create a frame for my lean to.  I’ve also used large rocks and laid them out in a square shape..  Then, I’ve put the frame or the window on top of the rocks.  Both ways work equally well.  If you use a lean to, it is important to vent the structure during the day or you could kill your plants.  Simply prop the window or the frame open a few inches using a rock or a piece of wood.

I have also had success extending the growing season by using plastic containers like soda bottles and milk jugs.  To use this method, cut the bottom off the plastic containers.  Recycle the top part of the container but keep the bottom part.  Place the cover over the plant.

You can use these methods to extend your growing season in the fall as well.  Keep in mind that it may take longer to grow the plants in the fall.  For example, plants that say that they mature in 60 days may take longer to mature.

For fall planting, it is best to plant cool weather crops, unless you have a permanent heated structure in which to grow your plants.  Lettuce, peas, onions, broccoli and cabbage all do very well for fall plantings.

Don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works in your garden and what does not work.  After a little bit of trial and error, you will be surprised at the successes you will have growing your own food in the spring, summer, and fall.

Seed saving can help you save the fruits and vegetables that you love the most.  Not only will saving your seeds help you to save money when gardening, but it is also an important part of becoming as independent as possible.  The truth is that people save seeds for many reasons.  Some people have actually formed seed saving groups in order to preserve different varieties of plants for future generations.

Depending upon the type of plant, it can be difficult to save the seeds.  The easiest plants to start with are tomato, bean and pea plants. Once you have mastered the techniques of seed saving with these plants, you can move on to other plant varieties like broccoli and lettuce!

The first and most important rule of seed saving is that you should only save the seeds of open-pollinated plants.  Many seeds today are hybrid plant seeds.  This means that they are a cross of two different plant varieties.  This also means that you will not get great results if you decide to save and plant the seeds the following year.  There are many online resources for finding heirloom fruits and vegetables, so when you make your first purchase make sure you are choosing open-pollinated plants.

The next step is to look over your plants and choose the plant that has performed the best.  This plant would have provided lots of vegetables and would be very healthy.  Instead of harvesting all of the vegetables off of this plant, simply let the pods on the plant until the pod turns brown and you can hear the peas or beans shaking inside.  This should take about a month, but time may vary. Pull the pod off the plant and save the seeds inside.  You may find that the seeds are still not perfectly dried out once you take them out of the pod.  Simply spread them on a paper towel to finish the process.

Tomato plant seeds are  different.  Simply scoop out the pulp including the seeds and float the entire blob in a bowl of water.  After a few days, the seeds and the pulp will separate: the blob will stay floating but the seeds will drop to the bottom of the bowl.  When the process is complete, drain of the water containing the tomato pulp.  Then, spread the seeds out on a paper towel in order to let them dry.

Once the seeds are thoroughly dry, you can store them in a labeled envelope, a plastic bag, or a jar.  Keep the different seeds separate and be sure to label your containers!  Be sure to keep your seeds in a cool, dry place until you are able to plant them the next year.  If you have not dried the seeds thoroughly before storing them, you may notice some mold growing.  Simply take out the seeds that are affected as soon as possible.  Put the rest of the seeds in another storage envelope and add several teaspoons of powdered milk to the seeds.  The powdered milk will act as a desiccant and draw out any moisture still present.

Seed saving is a fun and rewarding hobby.  Just think–hundreds of years from now, your descendents could be planting seeds which originally came from the plants in your garden!

Resources for open-pollinated seeds

Victory seeds Sells rare and open-pollinated seeds.
Sustainable Seed companySells seeds that are grown sustainably.
Get Seeds Sells seeds that are non-GMO, open-pollinated, and heirloom varieties.