Planning for Spring Already

I've got a plan in mind for Spring.  My plan is to plant a beautiful, bountiful veggie garden.  I see myself picking red ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, succulent cucumbers and fiery jalapeños.  I see colorful jars of salsa, chow chow, ketchup, corn, potatoes, green beans, and pickles lining the shelves in my cupboard. 

The problem?  I live in Oklahoma. It does present some challenges.  First, the soil is mostly red clay.  Second, it gets crazy-hot during the summer.  Third, lots of droughts.  My solution?  Raised beds.  Here is my inspiration.  I love how neat and organized it is and the zinnias add a perky pop of color. 

Raised beds address all three of the problems. I can choose exactly the soil mixture I want to use. I can add shade during those long hot summer days by adding movable hoop houses.  As to droughts, I can focus my sprinkles just on the garden itself and I won't be wasting water to keep a green lawn.  That will now be garden area.  We sit on a bit over 1/2 of an acre so I have a lot of space.

Since our goal is to reduce our spending and increase our self-sufficiency, a garden is the perfect addition to our home.  I do love to cook so canning is something I really look forward to trying.  I've got a huge file of recipes already.  For Yule, I'm asking for canning supplies and books.  I hope I can really decrease our grocery bill significantly next year by utilizing my garden.  Who knows?  Maybe I can even sell some of my produce or canned goods and bring in a little extra cash too.