The planting garden, homeschooling (very eclectic- personalized studies for 4 kids), and other projects have been keeping me really busy lately...  I was wanting to record more often in this spot what we've been doing , and maybe even start another site dedicated to just our homeschooling projects. One set-back to trying to do this--when I started I thought we were going to get a faster internet connection but that isn't possible where we are (our rural phoneline doesn't even handle the 56k speed that is always listed as the slowest speed when you try to download something.)  A small disadvantage to being so rural, but the advantages far outweigh the inconveniences. 

 I'll try to get some crockpot recipes here soon.  We use my crockpots alot!

After a relatively healthy winter, we are passing around a tummy flu.  Teas seem to help as much as anything with this. peppermint or ginger are good ingredients to look for to find something to settle upset tummies.  My husband swears by baking soda in water for upset stomaches; its what he grew up taking as an all-purpose cure-all. 

 the frugal mama, still hanging in here

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I've started planting my garden (cool weather crops)

Gardening planting dates.:

to March 10 - plant below-ground crops

March 10th - 25th  above ground crops

rest of the month- below ground again

Source : Countryside and  Small Stock Journal, March/April 2005

  These dates are based on the position of the moon.  Above ground vegetables and flowers as the moon is waxing and root crops between full and new moon.  One of my grandmothers always relied on the position of the moon for planting her large successful gardens.

Genesis 1 : 14.  And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to seperate the day from the night and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years." 

  My other grandmother was a proponet of companion planting; that plants should be next to the other types of plants that they grow best near, in the garden.  I try to always plant marigolds around my tomatoes because they protect the tomato plants by repelling  pests.    

Both women grew their gardens in an era when folks relied on their gardens to help feed their families, They had bigger gardens than mine and did a lot of canning.  They counted on being able to grow amounts that would help feed their families throughout the year. 

  I did more canning this past summer than I had done previously, and enjoyed both the canning and the having fruits and vegetables to serve.  Just this week we came to the end of the greenbeans.  I want to can more this summer than I did last summer.

 the Frugal Mama