A Minute With Molly and Midge!
RAISED VEGETABLE GARDENING
March 27, 2012
In This Issue
From the Blog
Saving in the Raised Bed Garden
Homemade Pizza (Crust)
Molly Wants You!
Garden Art
The Coupon Craze
From Midge
Our Sponsors
Magazines
Coming April 1!
The Coupon Craze:
Chaos or Common Cents?
 
 



















http://econobusters.com/write_for_molly_green_magazine/
Hi friends, 
   
Raised vegetable gardens have many benefits. The elevation helps prevent little fingers and big paws from making compost of all the beautiful plants and hours of work they hold. Raised gardens are also better for the back than traditional gardens and are often neater in appearance. They provide good drainage for the plants, and their soil will warm up faster than the ground does.

Although container gardens can be expensive to put together, they can also be made frugally from found material. Popular Mechanics has an excellent tutorial detailing how to build a raised bed garden. With these instructions and found materials, by the end of this weekend your garden could be growing!  


 

From the Blog

Econobusters is blossoming this week with...  

 

Saving in the Raised Bed Garden
  • The ingenuity of people in their gardens never ceases to amaze me. Find out here
    what She's Crafty added to her garden.
  • Looking to save time and space in your garden? Try square foot gardening!  
  • Re-grow celery? It can be done. Chickens in the Road will show you how.
Homemade Pizza (Crust)

 

Pizza always goes well with any family event, and the bounty of the garden added to a homemade crust can be a family event all its own. Here is a homemade crust for your family to try this weekend:  

 

Ingredients:  

4 cups whole-wheat or white flour  

1 tablespoon sugar or honey  

2 teaspoons salt  

1/4 cup oil  

1 1/3 cups warm water  

 

Directions:  

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.  

2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix it together with a fork or spoon.  

3. Add the oil and warm water. Stir all of this up until it begins to form a soft dough.  

4. Knead the dough right in the bowl. Do it for about two minutes, or until the dough is smooth, resilient, and well-formed.  

5. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.  

6. After the dough has rested, divide it into two balls to press into your pans. This amount of dough is enough to cover two round pizza pans or two 9-by-13 rectangular pans. This recipe will also make four to six pie plate-sized pizzas. Press the dough into the pans.  

7. Pre-bake the crusts before filling. Bake the plain crusts for about 8 minutes, or until they puff up and appear slightly dry on the surface. Remove the partially cooked crusts from the oven.  

8. Top with tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever else you like.  

9. Bake at 425°F until the cheese is hot and bubbly, or about 10 to 15 minutes.  

 

You can find many more delicious recipes in my cookbook In the Kitchen With Molly at the Schoolhouse Store. 

Molly Wants You!

 

Dear Molly Members,  

 

Molly wants to see your garden pictures. We want to hear about your successes as well as the things you could have done better. We want your ideas, tips, and tricks. Write to Molly@econobusters.com. We may include your submission in our next newsletter!

 

molly member banner   
Garden Art

 

I always like having a nice place to sit and watch the garden grow. Garden Daddy made his bench from a pallet. This garden bench is an organic alternative to the traditional metal ones found in stores. And, since the bench is made mostly from materials that are often tossed in the garbage, the cost is pennies on the dollar.  

The Coupon Craze

 

 

Knowing how to play the coupon game can save you big on the things you use the most. But is it for you? Boy, have I got a treat for you! Molly Green Magazine launches this April. This inaugural issue is filled with loads of couponing strategies and money-saving tips. You'll be able to find this issue in our new store (or your member pages, if you're a member) this coming Monday.

  • Repurpose a cork board in to "Coupon Central." 
  • Feed a family of four to six for less than $20.   
  • Teach your children to coupon.  
  • Create your own in-home spa.  
  • Discover home pet care for less.  
  • Learn how to shop the big-box stores.  
From Midge

Lasagna Gardening  

 

When Molly sent me this topic I was stumped. What is raised vegetable gardening? 

 

As you already know, I have a non-existent green thumb. In fact, I would go so far as to say I have a purple thumb, because every time I try something new I am bound to get physically hurt. Our grass and a few durable bushes and trees are the only things that grow around our house, and their sustainability is mostly due to the fact that my husband really loves to water them.  

 

Not knowing what raised vegetable gardening was, I had to do an Internet search. And then I found lasagna gardening! 

   

Of course, a couple of images flashed across my mind. One of them was the cartoon cat Garfield, complete with overalls and a hoe, picking a fresh pan of lasagna from his vegetable garden. Then I pictured little lasagna noodles hanging like leaves off a plant.  

 

Reading a bit further into the article, I discovered it had nothing to do with actual lasagna . . . bummer. But, it is a neat way to look at gardening. It may be something that Molly's readers want to try because it involves using what you have lying around for compost. What a neat way to recycle and reuse old items and grow some food for your family.  

 

But now, I am craving lasagna. I think a little take-out from our Italian food place is in order, or maybe a grocery store run for a frozen lasagna. If only I could pick it out of my garden ready-made.

 

To hear more from Midge, be sure and visit us at Econobusters.com every Thursday!