Excess Garden Harvest into Food Storage

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How to Save on the Waste of Over Planting

Gardening has a way of soothing the senses and loosening us up from a tense day of work. More and more people are spending time in their gardens, rediscovering their green thumbs and reconnecting with nature. The benefits are endless and the better you get at it, the more produce you create. From flowers to vegetables, your garden becomes your private sanctuary.

However, when you are starting off on this journey, moderation is a little difficult to get right. Sometimes we plant too much. Other times too little. Sometimes we plant our vegetables too close together. Other times too far apart. With practice we learn what works best for our garden, but to save you a little time, take a look at the list below for the average amount of seeds you should plant to avoid over planting.

“Vegetable” “Numbers of Seeds Planted Per Person in the Household”

Tomato 4

Corn 6

Carrots 15

Lettuce 4

Spinach 4

Peas 20

Squash 1

What to Do With Too Much

If you’re still struggling with the problem of too much yield from your garden, don’t fret. There are many more things to do be done with the excess vegetables you have produced. From preserving it, too selling it, there’s always something that can be done with the fruits of your labour.

1. Preserving The Excess

If you’re the sort of person who loves to store food for emergencies, then you’ll love this. Preserving your vegetables means storing them for future eating, using techniques that have been passed down through the ages. The first process is fermentation. Here you seal in the goodness using a combination of salt, water or vinegar. Once you’ve fermented your vegetables they have a shelf life that is hard to believe. Sauerkraut can keep for up to 2 months in the fridge, if you seal it properly. However, freeze it and it will keep for as long as two years!

Freeze-drying is another method used to preserve food, although this method will require some research. The technique hinges on the following principle; remove moisture from the food and keep oxygen away from it, and it will keep for a very long time. How long? If you do it properly, as long as 25 years!

2. Compost It

While we never enjoy throwing our foods away, sometimes it’s unavoidable. Composting your leftover vegetables is a great way of creating new nutrients for the soil. Remember that growing your veggies sucks a tremendous amount of vitamins from the ground. These nutrients need to be replaced regularly, or you’ll end up eating tasteless tomatoes and dull carrots.

By digging a hole in a part of your garden you don’t use, you create a compost pit. Throw all your leftover vegetables and eggshells in here, and in time you’ll have a source of nutrients for your garden. If you battle with rats and other animals you should opt instead for a container that you can seal. Specific worms and certain soil enzymes help to break the food up into nutrients, turning all these leftovers into your garden’s superfood.

3. Share it, Sell it or Give it Away

Everyone needs vegetables. If you can’t find someone who is willing to buy some of your produce, you’re probably not speaking to the right people. In most towns you’ll find farmer’s markets where fresh produce is sold. However, if you’re not keen on this idea, speak to friends and neighbours. Usually, you’ll have more than a few offers to take away your delicious vegetables. If neither of these options works for you, try finding a local charity. Children’s homes are especially in need of vegetables to keep their children healthy.

There’s Always A Way

Even if your garden is sagging under the attack of runaway tomato plants, remember that there’s always something you can do about it. Whether you’re preserving it for yourself, turning it into soil-food or sharing it with your community, vegetables are a blessing and your green thumbs have helped bring them into the world.

Click here to read about turning excess garden harvest into food storage:

https://www.fix.com/blog/vegetable-garden-leftovers/