Make The Most From Your Vegetable Garden

All your hard work has paid off, and now you are presented with a dilemma, too many vegetables! After sharing your wealth with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and anyone that happens to come to visit, there are alternative options of what you can do with your extensive supply of tomatoes, zucchini and other bountiful crops that will bring great joy to the community around you.

There are many different ways to approach this, the easiest would be to look up in your local phone book for organizations that you could donate your vegetables to. A good place to start would be food banks, women's shelters and half-way houses. Don't be discouraged if at first you are turned down, some community resources have to follow guidelines that will not allow them to accept fresh fruit or vegetables. You can also look up on the internet for locations near you that would find great joy in being the recipient of your sharing.

Another great idea is to do a "vegetable exchange" with other gardeners, you neighbor could have a bumper crop of beans or corn and not a great harvest on tomatoes, exchanging them will give you the best of both vegetables! The only thing of caution here is that it's a good idea to exchange with people that have the same basic gardening ethics, if you grow organic vegetables then you may not want to exchange with someone else that prefers to use chemicals or pesticides in their garden.

Preserving your vegetables for the rest of the year is also a great option. There are many sources online that can walk you through step by step on how to preserve your vegetables, either by canning, freezing or making something more specific like salsa sauce with your tomatoes. You can use the same approach to this as the idea above as well, have a variety of vegetables gathered from people around you and have a harvesting party. Get each person to bring enough of something from their vegetable garden that each person that attends will have an item to go home with. (For example if you have zucchini, another has tomatoes, and yet another has beans, you would walk away with at least two other types of vegetables)

The first hint that you need to find alternative options is to realize that when your friends, family, and neighbors start running in the other direction and turning off all the lights and pretending they are not home when they see you walking towards them with more of your delicious vegetables, that there are alternatives that will not only help others in your community but make all your hard work in your vegetable garden go a little bit further in spreading the joy to others.

For more gardening tips you can go to www.gardening-tips-n-tools.com

Butterfly House in the Flower Garden

Whenever you decide to look for a butterfly house for... Read More

Growing Vegetables in Containers - The Compact Solution

Container vegetable gardens are a great alternative for those that... Read More

Tidy Your Garden Up Cheaply

Recently I got involved with gardening. Preior to that, all... Read More

Wild Flower Garden - Yours to Design and Plan

To design a wild flower garden, you do not need... Read More

Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Come to My Garden

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, can be a... Read More

Best Perennial Plants for Summer Color

Summer is here and it's time to plant and enjoy... Read More

Gardening in Containers

Every Garden can benefit from the addition of container gardens.... Read More

10 Tips to Care for Your Antique Ceramics

To care for your antique ceramics you need a gentle... Read More

Plan Before Buying Rose Bushes

So, you have decided to plant rose bushes in your... Read More

Simple Lawnmower Maintenance

Do you have trouble starting your lawnmower up in the... Read More

Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance and Friendship

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly called rosemary is an aromatic herb indigenous... Read More

Patio Design and Patio Furniture - The Use of Focal Points

A focal point is an important design element; it is... Read More

How to Attract Butterfly Activity...

The flittering of the butterfly through your garden is no... Read More

Tranquility in Your Own Back Yard

A garden fountain can add beauty and serenity to you... Read More

CO2 for Free

We've all heard that there is no such thing as... Read More

The Home Garden

The garden should be near the house and away from... Read More

Tillandsia Airplants - Dont Plant These Plants!

Watch out, it's a tillandsia! Have no fear, I said... Read More

The Rich History of Chrysanthemums

Did you know that those lush, colorful blooms called chrysanthemums... Read More

The Basics of Growing Roses

So you want to grow roses? They are a beautiful... Read More

Garden Hot Tubs

Imagine starting your morning with a saunter out the back... Read More

Garden Benches - What They Are

Putting in a flower garden or any garden for that... Read More

Compost YES, Epsom Salts NO

You'll often hear garden writers recommending the use of Epsom... Read More

Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are?

What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The... Read More

Roses and Juniper Rock Gardens

Wide circle driveways don't happen much anymore, but when they... Read More

Patio Accessories ? Complete The Great Outdoors

Patio accessories can range from small to large and of... Read More