President Mickelsen …

… has taught that there are valuable spiritual rewards associated with gardening, even when financial rewards may not be apparent.

Self reliance & Home gardening

President Spencer W. Kimball said: "We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees-plant them … Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden ... neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities· (Ensign, May 1976, 124).

Stake Gardening

Have gardening questions? Call our Stake Gardening Specialist: Brother Larry Scott

(before 8:00 pm) 801-254-0521

Riverton Utah Stake Relief Society Provident Living Conference

Thank-you to all who participated in the Relief Society Provident Living Conference.

BENEFITS OF MULCHING

Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden. Mulch is simply a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil. Mulches can either be organic – such as grass clippings, straw, and similar materials – or inorganic – such as stones, brick ships, and plastic. Both organic and inorganic mulches have numerous benefits.

In a vegetable garden, it is best to apply the mulch after the soil has warmed up in the spring. Cool, wet soils may slow down seed germination and increase the decay of seeds and seedlings.

When applied correctly, mulch has the following beneficial effects on plants and soil:

Mulches prevent loss of water from soil by evaporation

Mulches reduce the growth of weeds, when the mulch material is weed-free and applied deeply enough to prevent weed germination or to smother existing weeds.

Mulches keep the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, thus maintaining a more even soil temperature.

Mulches prevent crusting of the soil surface, thus improving the absorption and movement of water into the soil.

Mulched plants have more roots than plants that are not mulched.

Organic mulches can improve the soil structure. As the mulch decays, the material becomes topsoil. Decaying mulch also adds nutrients to the soil.

Mulch materials can be your yard “trash” such as:

• grass clippings (not treated with herbicides)

• leaves (chopped)

• aged animal manures (horse, chicken, cattle)

• peat moss

• compost

• shredded newspaper

Basic Rules for Home Storage

Rule 1: Store what you eat, and eat what you store.

Rule 2: Rotate your food supply. Eat the old and replace with new food.

Rule 3: Whatever you store, insure it is as nutritious as possible.

Rule 4: Take special care to preserve your food supply.

Rule 5: Learn to grow a garden now before any hard times come.

The Rewards of Home Gardening

Family Unity

Families who work together in a home garden build family unity because they share a common purpose. President Kimball said: "We hope you are making this [gardening project] a family affair, with everyone, even the little ones, assigned to something. There is so much to learn and harvest from your garden, far more than just a crop itself (Ensign, May 1978, 79).

Appreciation of Work

A home garden helps children learn the value of work. After they have helped the family plant a garden and care for it, they will enjoy seeing the results that come from their hard work.

Self-Sufficiency

Growing a garden helps us develop confidence as we become better prepared to take care of our own needs. We know that if problems come we can meet them because we have preserved fruit, grown a garden, and planted fruit trees and berry bushes. An added blessing knows that we can also help others in need.

Instruction and Pleasure

A garden reminds us of the beauties of this world our Heavenly Father created for us, and it can give us hours of instruction and pleasure as we witness the miracle of growth. President Spencer W. Kimball said that gardening will "remind us all of the law of the harvest. ... We do reap what we sow. Even if the plot of soil you cultivate, plant, and harvest is a small one, it brings human nature closer to nature as was the case in the beginning with our first parents" (Ensign, May 1978, 77-78).

Reduced Expenses

Home gardening can reduce the cost of living. Eating the food we grow ourselves enables us to save the money we would have spent on food grown by others.

Creamed Peas and New Potatoes

1½ Lbs Small New Potatoes (about 15)

1½ Cup Fresh New Peas

3 Tbl Sliced Green Onion

4 tsp Butter

4 tsp All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Milk

Scrub potatoes, cut off a narrow strip of peel around center of potato. Cook in boiling salted water 15 to 20 minutes; drain. Cook peas and onion in salted water 8 to 15 minutes; drain. Make a white sauce of butter, flour, dash of salt and milk.

Cannery Dates

Murray Cannery (801-266-1460)

Call well in advance to make an appointment.

White Chicken May 6, 7, & 15

Salsa May 9

Black Beans May 13

Tomato Sauce May 20

Diced Tomatoes May 21

Strawberry Jam May 22

Chili May 28

Ground Beef May 29 & 30

Welfare Square Cannery (801-240-7370)

Call well in advance to make an appointment. Reservations begin May 15th

Spaghetti Sauce June

Honey July 9, 10, 14, 15

Sandy Dry Pack Cannery

May 22nd – 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

June 27th – 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

These times have been reserved for our Stake.