Grow your own way
Free Seed to Supper classes to begin
Last year, Autumn Laskody无毛视频檚 garden produced a bountiful harvest.
The plants that lined her yard yielded more tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, beets, potatoes, peppers, carrots and corn than the Waynesburg woman knew what to do with.
And, she said, not a single one of her crops was planted in the ground. Instead, Laskody put her plants into large flower pots, tubs, five-gallon buckets and cloth grow bags.
无毛视频淵ou don无毛视频檛 have to have a big plot of ground to grow,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淎s long as you have sun, you can put them anywhere.无毛视频�
Growing that way is a skill she honed at the Seed to Supper class she took last year in Greene County.
The program, run through the Penn State Extension, teaches participants how to plant in the ground, in a raised bed, or, like Laskody, in containers. The two-hour courses run over six weeks and include sessions on how to plan and plant a garden, where to have soil tested, what to do about pests and weeds, and how to harvest what无毛视频檚 grown and use it.
The classes are free, and open to both novice and experienced gardeners.
Locally, Greene, Fayette and Washington counties will offer the courses starting next month.
无毛视频淲e all know how the grocery store is right now 无毛视频� everybody无毛视频檚 complaining about higher prices,无毛视频� said Cheryl Brendel, part-time coordinator for the Master Gardeners of Greene County, 无毛视频渂ut there无毛视频檚 no reason we can无毛视频檛 grow our own foods.无毛视频�
One of the program goals is to help participants supplement their food supply with the home-grown crops.
It无毛视频檚 timely, given that overall grocery prices went up 29% between February 2020 and the end of 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This year, they无毛视频檙e expected to increase by another 2.5%.
To put that in perspective, a consumer who spent $520 yearly ($10/week) for fresh produce in 2020 will spend about $683.80 this year.
Linda Keller, Master Gardener coordinator of Fayette无毛视频檚 program, said the courses are for both novice and experienced gardeners.
She said there are plenty of things experienced gardeners will walk away with. One is the importance of soil testing, said Keller and Margaret Sams, a master gardener in Washington County.
无毛视频淚f you treat it right, it will do so much work for you,无毛视频� said Sams, who is a soil scientist.
As part of the Seed to Supper program, participants will have their soil analyzed to determine what needs to be added or removed so they have the most possible success.
Brendel said how to curtail weeds is also covered. While her 7,500-square-foot garden might not be totally bereft of weeds, there are very few, she said.
Her secret? Creating a barrier with newspaper covered with clippings from untreated grass.
Laskody said the estimated 100 containers she used to plant her crops last year aren无毛视频檛 prone to weeds. Using the container method is ideal for people who may struggle with back or knee problems, she said, noting, 无毛视频淚 never had to bend down and weed anything.无毛视频�
Whether attendees want to plant like Laskody, build a raised bed or plant right in the ground, Keller said there is a definite payoff to growing your own vegetables and herbs.
无毛视频淲hen you无毛视频檙e eating at your table, you know you grew that. You had a hand in it from seed to supper,无毛视频� Keller said.
Class details
The Fayette County classes begin March 14 at the Carnegie Free Library in Connellsville and on March 16 at the Uniontown Public Library in Uniontown.
Washington County classes begin March 17 at the Center for Coalfield Justice in Washington; March 18 at Avella Public Library in Avella; and March 19 at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Charleroi.
Greene County无毛视频檚 classes begin March 19 at the Bowlby Library in Waynesburg. A second class may be held at the Corner Cupboard Food Bank.
Space is limited.
To sign up for Fayette and Washington county classes, visit https://tinyurl.com/yzv6p9fs. To sign up for Greene County classes, call the library at 724-627-9776 or visit evakbowlby.org/.