In these times of soaring grocery prices and salmonella scares, we have found a number of ways to maximize our vegetable garden output. Gardens and Gadgets.com was created to share some of the gardening tricks we use to get the most when you have limited space.

You will note from some of the photos, we depend heavily on raised bed gardening. The heavy clay soil, found in Central Virginia, is very challenging for gardeners. The raised bed method provides a near weed free environment, with a very high quality soil. While the initial expense, approximately $200 for a 4 foot by 8 foot raised bed, seems high, the reality is the beds will last for many years. Our oldest beds were established 4 years ago and show no signs of deterioration. Part of the success of these beds is careful crop rotation. Something we will discuss in later updates.

The raised beds lend themselves to Organic Gardening very well. While we are close to being totally organic, the reality is we do not strive for that goal. Maximizing our gardens productivity is our primary goal. Everything you see and read in the Garden Tips Section is used to achieve that goal.

Thank you for stopping by and we hope you find something that you can apply to your garden. If you have any suggestions that are working for you, please email them to gardensandgadgets@comcast.net. We will create a page just for your suggestions.

Come back soon, things are growing at Gardens and Gadgets.

Happy Gardening

G&G