What grows in your garden? Kiwano Horned Melon

Each week Just Trying To Save Money will find a new fruit or vegetable that her family is going to try and share with you how it tastes, where is grows, etc. This is a way for her family to try new fruits and vegetables and hopefully encourage your family to do the same!

Just Trying To Save Money also hopes to find new fruits and vegetables to grow in her garden, in the long run saving her money while providing her family with more organic food options! Here is the new produce she tried this week!

NAME: Kiwano Horned Melon (Cucumis metuliferus)

FRUIT or VEGETABLE: Fruit

AVERAGE SIZE, COLOR, SHAPE: 6-9 inches long (my 6 year old daughter was holding this in one hand- to give you an idea of how big it was), oval shaped, yellow-organish in color with spikes all over it, green and seedy on the inside- inside looks similar to a Kiwi

HOW TO GROW: Start Kiwano seeds indoors in the spring and then they can be moved to your outdoor garden once temperatures reach 55-60 degrees! Kiwano plants need full sun and it's soil needs to stay moist.

WHERE TO GROW: You can pretty much grow it any where as long as you plant it in a well drained area, keep the soil moist and it has plenty of sun light

HARVEST: Kiwano melons are ready for harvest once the skin turns orangish, usually 12-14 weeks after planted.

HOW TO EAT: Cut it and serve as a snack or add it as a garnish

TASTE: Similar to a cucumber, kind of plain but it was actually refreshing, a little tart

SPECIAL NEEDS or INSTRUCTIONS: Do not refrigerate

USES: Good source of Vitamin C (40% of your daily recommended serving in one Kiwano melon)

AVERAGE COST AT THE GROCERY: $2.50 - $3.50 each (these are average prices in my area, Ohio, depending on season and growth they may be more or less in your neck of the woods)

RECIPES: Mix with fruit salad, Beef & Fruit Salad

Thanks E How, Recipe.com and What's Cooking America for additional information about this produce!

Saturday's Saving Tip - "Pick Your Own" Farms!

If you are looking for a way to save some money with out having the care of your own garden, you can always visit your local Farm. Visit PickYourOwn and search for a local farm in your area where you can tour their farm, pick your own flowers, veggies or fruit all for a very reasonable price! We live near Cincinnati and I found 3 that are within driving distance for us to visit and pick our own!

The PickYourOwn site offers a ton of information! Below I included a farm in my area- they tell you exact location, what they have to offer and any visitor information you may need to stop by! They also have reviews from readers so you can see what others have to say about a local farm. Some farms offer a lot of options or they may specialize in just one produce.

Thanks Just Trying To Save Money! I knew there was a U-Pick Blueberry farm not too far from me that I wanted to visit this summer. I had no idea there are a total of SEVEN "pick your own" farms within a 20 minute drive of my house (2 of them are less than 10 miles!) I'm already making plans to take Bug to these this summer!!

Have your own garden that you want to share? Have any tips, ideas, pictures or just anything you want to share showing you getting dirty? Add the link to your post below, and if you want to share- copy this button and add it to your post. Your readers will then be able to see others gardening tips, ideas and pictures!! Don't have a blog? Leave a comment telling us about your garden!!

Rebate of the Day - Spectracide, Cutter, Hot Shot, Repel and Garden Safe

United Industries is offering a mail-in rebate of up to $3 for all Spectracide, Cutter, Hot Shot,
Repel and Garden Safe products.

How to get your rebate:
1. PURCHASE any of the products listed on this form between 4/4/11 and 5/4/11.
2. WRITE the UPC numbers from the packages on the form.
3. COMPLETE the rebate form including name and address.
4. MAIL (a) this completed form and (b) the original or a photocopy of your dated,
store-identified cash register receipt (or the original same-date rebate receipt) with
the price you paid circled to the address on the form.

Limit one rebate per address - no PO boxes.  Request must be postmarked by 5/20/11.

Tuesday's Treat - Kid Friendly Gardening!

Thanks to Charlotte at Stretching Your Budget for this great idea!

Spring is almost here! So, I thought it would be a great time to start planting a garden! Unfortunately it’s not always easy to get the kids involved on such a large project. So, I’ve got the perfect solution for both!

If you’re like me, you love to use Organic products without paying the steep price. My kids absolutely love yogurt and we can usually get it for Free at the grocery store after using coupons! So we have a ton of these little yogurt cups. I was trying to think of what I could use them for instead of throwing them away. Then the other day we got the Danonino Yogurt that had the awesome idea of planting seeds in them! They even come with a little pack of seeds! Even if you don’t have this specific yogurt you can still to this project!

Supplies:
- Clean, empty yogurt cups
- Potting soil
- Seeds ( I would recommend herbs or something that will grow well inside)
- Water
- Kids that don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty!

Directions:
- Fill the container ¾ of the way full with soil
- Place the seed on top and then smooth over with more soil just until you can’t see the seed
- Pour a little water in
- Wait for it to grow!

This is super cheap and easy! Kids love being able to get involved and get their hands a little dirty. Plus, they actually get to watch it grow. Then when it’s ready you get to have fresh organic herbs to use in your favorite dishes! My kids are so excited about theirs!

Rebate of the Day - Spectracide $3.50

Check out this great deal on Spectracide Products!

Spectracide Rebate Offer:

Purchase any two Spectracide products from March 22, 2010 thru September 30, 2010 and receive a rebate of $3.50. Rebate valid on all Spectracide products (excluding Spectracide Wasp & Hornet products)

Fill out the online rebate form here.

Rebate of the Day - Bayer Advanced Lawn and Garden Products

Mail-In Rebate valid on all Bayer Advanced products except for the following: 2-in-1 Insect Protection Plus, Fertilizer Plant Spikes, 3-in-1 Tree & Shrub Plant Starter Throw Pack, 24 oz. RTU products, and NATRIA™ products.

Purchase any Bayer Advanced product (except for those listed above) and receive a $3 rebate.  Purchase any TWO Bayer Advanced product and receive $6!  (Limit of $6 per address.)

Purchases must be made from 2/1/10-9/30/10.

You will need your receipt, the UPC #s off the products and this form.

Rebate of the Day - Spectracide

I'm not really having a problem with weeds right now because we aren't getting any rain.  But if you need something for your weeds, here's a $3.50 rebate on TWO Spectracide products.

Remember how I've said to always keep your receipts for at least 90 days or longer if you can?  Well, here's why.  This rebate is good on purchases made 3/22/10 to 9/30/10!

This rebate allows photocopies of your receipt if you need to keep your original.  But you will need to record the UPC number of the products on the rebate form.

How does your garden grow?

Not very well actually....

The only tomato that's come off the tomato plant was hardly bigger than a salad tomato and there are no flowers on the plant.  :(

I've harvested one bell pepper and there are lots of flowers on the plant.  So I still have high hopes for it.

My green beans are doing nothing.  Any advice??

My chives are doing okay.  The other herbs aren't.

My lettuce has sprouted...but the heat is really getting to it.

For the last couple weeks, the highs here have been between 95 and 100 and heat indexes of 105 or more.  Nothing is thriving...

Accomplished!

I completed my Shopping To-Do list today plus a short break for lunch, with toddler in tow, in under 5 hours, no less! 

Baragin brag with pictures to come momentarily.

FYI: If you have the Home Depot buy one perennial get one free coupon (or if you just really want some Crepe Myrtles), they have 3 gallon crepe myrtles for $7.97!  Which is awesome!  I got that and a hydrangea bush today.  The hydrangea was $12.97 and the crepe myrtle was FREE with the coupon!
I could've got two crepe myrtles for $7.97 with the coupon but I really wanted a hydrangea.  :)

Home Depot - Buy one perennial, get one free!

 If you've signed up for the Home Depot Garden Club Newsletter check your e-mail today for a coupon for "Buy one perennial plant, get one FREE!"  The coupon is good til July 5th!

I'm so excited!  I've wanted another hydrangea and gardenia bush for my yard!

 

If you didn't get this coupon, sign up for the Home Depot Garden Club  before you miss out on any more coupons!!  :)

How does your garden grow? Another update!

Well, I had to replant the herbs.  They were looking soooo good!  But apparently I set them too close to the house and they were blocked by the eaves.  So those days where we were getting alllll this rain and I thought "Wow!  My plants are loving this!"...well, the herbs were not loving it because they were not getting any rain.  Lesson learned. :[  Herbs replanted.  :]  I also put some more chives and cilantro into some bigger pots and set them out front in my flower beds.  We'll see which ones do the best.

Here's a neat tip that I learned this week!

If you boil eggs, let the water cool and then water your plants with it!  The water is filled with a nutrient from the boiling eggs that will help your plants!

I added this tip to all the great, frugal ways to fertilize your plants here.

Here's what else is going on in the vegetable garden!

A teeny, tiny tomato:

What will probably turn out to be a nice sized bell pepper:

And one, yes ONE, lone green bean! I hope some more beans start growing soon. I'd hate for my first harvest to be ONE green bean. LOL!

Anyone else having any gardening success?

How does your garden grow - update

Cilantro, Parsley & Chives

Green Beans - I may have to divide these up.  ALL my seeds sprouted.  WOW!

   

Tomato and Bell Pepper Plants

Notice the yellow flower on the tomato plant and the white flower on the bell pepper plant? Those will be vegetables soon! :)

All these pictures were taken about a week ago.

Check out some frugal gardening tips here.

Free Gardening guide from Burpee!

Get a FREE Gardening Guide from Burpee!

I'm excited that it's gardening season.  I have expanded my vegetable gardening to include green beans this year as well as some herbs!

Check out some frugal gardening tips and ideas by catching up on all the gardening posts here.

Saturday's Saving Tips - How does your garden grow?

I have always planted a tomato and bell pepper plant on our back porch every spring.  Those are the two vegetables that I use the most.

This year I have expanded my back porch vegetable garden to include green beans, chives, cilantro and parsley.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to stretch your budget and get nutritious fresh foods into your diet.  If I had more time to tend to them, I would plant more.  I slowly want to increase the amount of fresh food I grow for us.  But it's going to take baby steps.  ;]

For today's tips, here are some helpful (frugal) ideas for your garden!  A lot of these utilize "leftovers" (garbage and waste) so it makes it very good for the environment too!

Frugal Fertilizing Tips

Banana peels are rich in potassium which is an important nutrient for you and your garden. You can use them several ways to fertilize your plants:

Add them to your compost pile if you have one (I can't bring myself to make a compost pile...ewwww...)

Place or bury them directly around your plants.  This is what I do.  I place a piece or two of the peel in the pot with my tomato and bell pepper plants and put a little of the soil over it.

If you have a certain place that you plant your garden every year, in the off season when nothing is planted, throw the peels in that area and let them decompose there.  It adds nutrients to the soil that will be there when it's time to plant!
Dry the peels, by laying them on a screen in the yard to dry out. Grind dried peels in a food processor and use in your mulch to give new plants and seedlings a healthy start.

Sprinkle used coffee grounds or tea leaves around your plants.  Lots of nutrients for them to absorb!

Save your eggshells and crumble into your garden. The calcium is very good for your vegetables.

Fertilize your plants with Epsom salts. Mix it into your soil around the plant (not too close or it will burn the plant roots). For tomatoes, use 1 Tbsp for every foot of height, water in well.

If you boil eggs, let the water you boiled them in cool and then water your plants with it!  The water is filled with a nutrient from the boiling eggs that will help your plants!

Other helpful frugal garden tips: 

Popsicle sticks make great labels for your plants. Write the name of the plant on them with permanent makers.

An old ladder can be the perfect trellis on which to grow climbing plants such as beans or peas (or if you're a flower gardener- hibiscus, hummingbird vine, climbing roses, wisteria, etc.)  Just plant it in the ground.  Also old wooden window frames can be utilized this same way.  I've seen these at yard sales before.  Not only would these make great trellis' but also interesting decorative garden items!

Make a trellis using some twist ties and the plastic 6-pack rings. Use the twist ties to join together as many of the 6-pack rings as you want or need. Attach the trellis between two stakes also using twist ties.  (Or if you have a back porch garden like I do, attach it to your porch railings!)   When you are finished with it you can just roll it up and use it again next year. 

Use the foot section of old pantyhose and put soap inside and hang from your outdoor faucet. You can clean your hands and not take the mess inside! You can also do this with a mesh bag (like you use to wash your pantyhose in).  You'll need a little bit of string to tie it to your faucet.

Home Depot Garden Club

If you haven't been getting the "Buy one tree, get one free" or "Buy one rose bush, get one free" coupons from the Home Depot newsletter like everyone has been talking about it's because there is more than one Home Depot newsletter!  I wasn't getting these coupons that everyone was talking about.  I discovered it was because I wasn't signed up for the right newsletter!

If you want these coupons and more, sign up for the Home Depot Garden Club!