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Snake plants are the perfect companions for anyone who has a hard time keeping plants alive. These low maintenance plants require almost zero care and will thrive in almost any environment. Learn how to care for snake plants the right way, and keep them alive for a lifetime! Snake plants are also known as mother-in-law's tongue or sansevieria and have become increasingly popular in the last few years. This is because they give your home a green and modern look, due to the plant's sharp lines and striking colors. Additionally, people love them because they're so easy to care for and almost impossible to kill. Most people grow snake plants indoors, but in the summer, they can also be placed outdoors once all danger of frost has passed. HOW TO CARE FOR SNAKE PLANTS INDOORS Caring for snake plants is easy peasy! Like we mentioned above, they're one of the most low maintenance plants you can have, so even if you're one of those people that can't keep anything alive, these plants will not care. #1. SELECTING THE RIGHT SNAKE PLANT When purchasing a snake plant, head to your local nursery. While there, choose a plant with dark green leaves.…
My dad is a master gardener! Okay… maybe not master, but he is to me ( I can’t even keep potted herbs alive… but I’m working on it). As long as I can remember, my dad’s garden has produced a beautiful bounty of fresh vegetables every summer. Unfortunately, there are some nasty bugs that attempt to completely derail all of his hard work! Now not all bugs are created equal when it comes to your garden. In fact, some are even beneficial! I think we have all heard by now that we need to save the bees! Bees are incredibly beneficial to your garden and essential for pollination. Ladybugs are also considered beneficial, as they feast on parasite bugs that kill your plants! But there are loads of other insects that can wreak major havoc on your garden. One of the main offenders are aphids (pictured below). These buggers feed on almost all fruit and vegetable plants, flowers and shade trees. And here’s the kicker with aphids: they reproduce like crazy. The females can even reproduce without mating. Awesome. Aphids There are some great natural ways to help control the aphid population in your garden. 1. A good strong watering…
Onions are a must-have in any kitchen. These versatile vegetables are not only seen as a necessity by many cooks, but they're also incredibly easy to grow! Keep reading to learn how to plant onions in your garden. There are many different onion varieties and they all come in different sizes and colors. So whether you plant to plant red onions, yellow onions, or Spanish onions, the directions are all the same. And, don't forget that you can also pull onions while they're young and enjoy some fresh green onions! HOW TO PLANT ONIONS – TRANSPLANTS, SETS, OR SEEDS? You can plant onions from sets, seeds, or transplants. Onion transplants can be purchased from your local nursery, and these are onion plants that have been planted and are now ready to be transplanted directly into your garden. Transplants will usually grow within 65 days, but they are sensitive to diseases. Onion sets are immature bulbs that were grown the previous year and by far the most popular choice for gardeners. This is because onion sets are easy to plant, quick to harvest, and not very susceptible to diseases. When purchasing onion sets, you'll notice that they are identified by three different “varieties”: red,…
You've no doubt seen these cute little peppers at your local grocery store. Shishito peppers seem to have taken the culinary world by storm, and for good reason too! These small peppers are easy to cook, go with practically anything, have a great flavor and thin skin, and 1 out of 10 is a hot pepper – how fun is that?! If you're interested in learning how to grow shishito peppers, keep reading! But before we do that, let's take a quick look and see what shishito peppers actually are and where they originated from WHAT ARE SHISHITO PEPPERS? Shishito peppers are a Japanese variety of heirloom peppers from the species Capsicum annuum. They are small, wrinkly looking peppers and are usually green in color. You can buy them at most local grocery stores now, and they'll usually come in a 1lb bag. Eaten raw, these peppers are crisp and sweet, but once you cook them, slight spice and smokiness come out, and that's why people love them so much. Not to be confused with Padron peppers, which are not as wrinkles and are spicier than the shishito pepper plant. WHAT DO SHISHITO PEPPERS TASTE LIKE? The shishito pepper is…
All of these herbs are perfect to grow in your kitchen, or anywhere where your herbs will receive some indirect sunlight. Then, once grown, they'll be the perfect accompaniment to savory dishes. In no time, you'll become a gourmet cook with home-grown herbs that'll take your dishes to the next level! Keep reading to find out about the 9 easiest herbs to grow indoors! 9 EASIEST HERBS TO GROW INDOORS Growing herbs indoors is actually a lot easier than you'd think. You don't need a green thumb, you just need to follow directions. Herbs, like potted plants, need regular watering and adequate sunlight to grow. Additionally, they also need pots with good drainage holes as well as the correct soil for each herb variety. Follow the instructions for each herb, as each plant has a different need! #1. PARSLEY parsley Growing parsley from seed can take a little bit of time, but once the seedlings grow in, which can take about 2 weeks, parsley is pretty low maintenance. For best results, soak parsley seeds overnight before planting in soil and space each seed about 6 inches apart. Water regularly and place in a sunny spot, such as a south-facing window.…
It’s a quick solution that is proving extremely effective so far. What you’ll need: 10 x 25’ Plastic sheeting24 medium binder clips4 large binder clipsStaple gun & staplesWinter watering system of choice The steps: Remove the pre-existing fencing.Clean the bed, incorporate compost, and install a new watering system (if using).Unfold the plastic and stretch from the first crossbar, leaving 1 foot overhanging in the front. Stretch all the way across to the last crossbar and drape along the backside.Cut the plastic along the bottom of the backside, ensuring you leave enough material to secure at the bottom.Adjust the plastic along each long side, causing the bottom of the plastic to just meet the lip of the garden bed.Using large clips, temporarily secure plastic at the front in place by clipping around the PVC and plastic.Beginning with the middle section, secure the plastic to the lip of the garden bed with staples. Continue this to the last section, leaving the front two sections unsecured, and repeat on the opposite side in the same sections.On the back, cut a slit in the center from the bottom and up to 2 foot from the top.Push one section of this backside plastic inside. Stretch,…
Today is the start of a 3 part series. So, you’ll need to return for all the details on building the hoop fencing and setting up a similar watering system. These beds began as a general idea; they became an evolving project. For our designs, we knew we needed pest control to keep out rabbits, and the occasional curious dog. We also had some general considerations. Did we need shade cover, what type of watering system would be best, how much space did we really need? A month after beginning this project, we have our answers. Below you will find everything you need to build this sunken bed and you can return next Tuesday for all the fencing details. Materials 6- 4’ 10” beams6- 10’ 10” beams3’ x 25’ feet chicken wire ($19.77) Measure your beams. We repurposed beams we found in the yard and worked with 4’ and 10’ beams that were 4 inches thick.Dig your bed. Based on beam measurements, dig a hole to fit your structure. I dug a 11 x 5 foot hole that was 8 inches deep.Lay the beams. Lay the beams beginning with one of the longer sides. Lay the beams so they interlock in each corner. Line the beds. To prevent rodents from breaking into…
Continue ReadingDIY Raised Garden Bed Design: The Watering System
Ginger is one of the most powerful аnd beneficiаl root plаnts you cаn buy, but whаt if you could hаve аn endless supply grown right аt home? Ginger cаn be expensive to purchаse, аnd thаt’s why growing your own is highly recommended. Not only thаt, but growing ensures thаt there аre no pesticides or other hаrmful ingredients. Todаy we’ll show you how to grow in pots аnd get а truly endless supply! HOW TO GROW GINGER IN POTS OR CONTАINERS STEP 1: SOАKMost ginger roots thаt аre sold in stores аre coаted with а growth inhibitor which prevent them from sprouting. To get rid of thаt, simply soаk your ginger root in wаter for 24 hours. STEP 2: LOOK FOR GROWTH BUDS Аfter hаving soаked them for 24 hours, tаke them out of the wаter аnd look for growth buds. The sprout will grow on the indentаtion of the surfаce of the root. It doesn’t hаve аny buds, simply leаve it neаr а windowsill until buds stаrt sprouting. This mаy tаke а few dаys. STEP 3: CHOOSE А POT OR CONTАINERGinger roots grow horizontаlly, so we suggest а wide contаiner. Mаke is sure the contаiner is wider thаn deep, аnd…
Become self-sufficient and feed your family healthy produce by learning how to start a vegetable garden from scratch. With the world, the way it is now, millions of people are starting to think about gardening. Why do you ask? People want to be self-sufficient. They don't want to have to depend on someone else for everything. That's why gardening gives you an amazing opportunity to be able to feed yourself and your family. And, once you know how to start a vegetable garden, there is really no stopping you. The basics of a vegetable garden are pretty easy once you know them, and from there on, the world if your oyster! Plus, growing your own vegetables is possibly one of the most rewarding feelings you will ever get! Have you ever tasted a freshly picked fruit or vegetable? There's nothing quite like it! In this guide, you'll learn how to start a vegetable garden from scratch. We'll take you through all of the basics from where to plant, which vegetables to choose, what type of soil you need, and everything else under the sun! Also, be sure to bookmark HOW TO START A VEGETABLE GARDEN FROM SCRATCH – A BEGINNER'S…
Ok, so you’re ready to start composting, but what types of composter equipment should you use? There are several ways to compost and the one you choose really depends on how much space you have. And whether you want to keep your compost inside or outside the house. 1. Worm composter (Indoor/Outdoor): Worm farms are great because they take up little space and can even be kept inside the house. When the worms eat your kitchen scraps etc, they produce castings (aka worm poop) which is a great fertilizer for your plants. The bin also collects the liquid from the broken down waste. This makes for a wonderful compost tea that can be used as a liquid fertilizer. *Make sure to collect the liquid every so often because if not it will build up and drown the worms. Tip: Worms need to be comfortable, whether in a farm, outdoor compost pile or bin. They don’t like it when it’s too cold, too dry or too wet. They will leave if they are not happy. 2. Compost bin: The compost bin is a system that keeps all the garden/food waste, etc. contained and off the ground. There are many types of bins, but some good ones for small…
Making compost is one of those things that’s an art and a science. But believe me, it’s really not that difficult especially once you’ve decided what type of composter you are going to use. Even if you don’t follow the strict layering and greens to browns ratios (which I don’t), you can still get perfectly good compost. Making Compost: Quicker and Easier Here are some general tips that will help you out: You don’t want a bin with too many or large holes; the compost will dry out at the edges. You don’t want a completely closed bin either (unless you’re using a Bokashi system) or else your compost heap will not be able to breathe. If making compost in your own wood enclosure make sure the wood isn’t chemically treated; especially if using pallets – use the ones with the letters HT (heat-treated) not MB (chemically treated). You don’t want all those chemicals leaching into your compost then into your garden. If using wood to make an enclosure for the pile, line the bottom with bricks not wood. Because the wood on the bottom will eventually rot. It’s better if your pile sits on soil and not a hard surface. This will help it get colonized faster by…
Each measures 18"H x 14" diameterMade of non-toxic UV resistant durable polyethylene with strongly stitched seamsHolds approx 15 gallons of soilThe front access window for viewing lets you monitor and watch the growth of the potatoes or carrots or onions.Located at the bottom drainage holes for excess moisture runoff.Handles on each side for moving the bag around if necessary.When the growing season is over, empty the bag, wipe it clean, and fold it flat for use the following year.Choose from a set of 2 or a set of 3 bags.
To facilitate irrigation, I wash a bowl in the ground at the time of planting and planting pumpkin seeds around the pot from the outside. once you fill the pot with water, it drains out the holes within the bottom, immediately reaching the roots of the plants. Plant a canopy crop of tare around the hills to discourage weeds and feed the soil. Once the seeds have germinated, we thin each hill to the 2 or three strongest plants. the Pumpkin plants turn dark green when squash Root hits manure. because the plants grow larger, the sunken nursery pots give us the advantage of watering at the root level. We also shovel some compost into the pots later within the season to allow the plant's compost tea as we water. Summer squash could be a thirsty plant; we water within the nursery pots once or twice per week, whether or not there has been raining.
The big question is though, should you prune your tomato plants, and if so, how should you do it? We'll show you how to prune tomato plants for maximum yield and also why you should prune them so you have a better understanding. Pruning tomato plants is actually an optional technique. Some gardeners swear by it, while others choose not to do it. One very important thing to keep in mind though, is the variety of tomato you're growing – this will determine whether or not you should prune your tomato plants. You should only prune indeterminate varieties. These produce new leaves and flowers constantly throughout the growing season. Determinate varieties, on the other hand, should not be pruned, as you may reduce their yield. Let's take a quick look at what the difference between determinate and indeterminate varieties is. INDETERMINATE TOMATO VARIETIES: DO PRUNE Simply put, indeterminate tomato varieties will continue to produce fruit all throughout the growing season. This means that they will continuously throw off shoots, which need to be pruned for maximum growth and health. Additionally, indeterminate varieties will also need a trellis or some sort of support. DO I HAVE TO PRUNE MY TOMATO PLANT?…
Have you ever heard of the pomato plant? In these uncertain times, people are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to sustain themselves and their families. That's why a pomato plant is a perfect vegetable to plant this season: it's a tomato plant on top and a potato plant on the bottom. The half potato half tomato plant aka pomato is simply a graft of a potato and a tomato plant. Basically, it's a two for one – you get two completely different vegetables in one plant. The great thing about a pomato plant is that it's actually easy to grow, and best of all, helps you save space in your garden. Keep reading to learn how to grow pomato in your garden! HOW TO GROW POMATO PLANTS There are three different ways you can grow pomato plants: from actual pomato seeds, purchasing an already grown pomato plant, or grafting your own potato and tomato plants together. GROW POMATO PLANTS FROM SEED: You can choose to purchase pomato seeds online, but a lot of times they can be out of stock and are particularly hard to find. Simply follow the instructions on the package to grow pomato plants from seed. PURCHASE A GROWN POMATO PLANT: Alternatively,…
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