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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,…
What is compost? Ever ask yourself what is compost, anyways? Well, compost is essentially organic materials that have decayed and are weakened by living organisms. This process continuously occurs in nature when leaves and other organic matter collects on the ground. Composting in your own backyard helps accelerate this process. The resulting substance is rich in nutrients and feeds plants, improves soil quality and even helps prevent weeds. Why compost? You may also ask yourself, “Why compost, just for some free fertilizer?”. But there is so much more to composting and so many great benefits: It reduces the amount of trash that goes to the landfill not to mention the amount you have to lug to the curb on trash day. By composting food & garden waste and recycling we’ve reduced the amount of trash we throw away down to only one bag per week. Your garbage will smell less. Composting a large portion of the food scraps you would normally throw in the trash also reduces the amount of rotting food in your trash. Which would otherwise stink and attract roaches. You feel good because you’re helping the environment, less methane is produced in landfills (a powerful greenhouse gas). It’s great for your soil,…
This year we grew potatoes in our garden for the first time. We were really surprised at how big the potato plants grew. What we didn’t realize until too late, was that we were alleged to pile more soil on top of the young plants. You get more potatoes that way. Despite our not adding extra soil, we still got a pretty good harvest. About 38 pounds. We don’t eat potatoes a day, although we'll be eating more now. So the question now is how to preserve those potatoes to make them last as long as possible. Eric found (sorry I’m not sure where) someone who made a root barrel (instead of a root cellar). What a cool idea! So, we are going to try it out too. The theory is simple, the labor is hard work. First you buy a barrel. We bought a metal barrel, but plastic would work well too. Dig a hole big enough for the barrel to fit into. This is the hard part. I’m so glad I didn’t have to do it. This project would have never gotten done if it was up to me. We have rock and clay and Eric dug through it in 100 degree heat.…
Today I wanted to show you a trick for easily propagating hydrangeas. This is the time of year hydrangeas are getting trimmed back, so perfect timing to get cuttings to propagate!The first step is to get a cutting of a hydrangea. In our current place we don’t have a hydrangea, but our neighbor does and she lays the cuttings out in a branch pile so I scoop those up anytime I see them. Now, the cuttings I used had been laying out for a couple days, so they look a little sad and wilty. The great thing about hydrangeas is they will bounce right back, they are very vocal about if they want water and once you give it to them, they perk right back. If you are working off scraps from a fall trim up, you will want to section down those bigger branches into a couple smaller ones.I always cut right above a leaf segment, then pull off any lower leaves, leaving just the top ones. So one of my typical cutting would be about this size. Then my next trick I’ve learned, that seems bad, is cutting all the leaves in half or even smaller if they…
In order to work out your small garden’s function you would like to think about three things: 1 How you will use your small garden This will set the stage for your small garden design. You should begin by asking yourself, “What is my vision for this garden?Do you want to be able to go outside and pick your own vegetables and herbs? Do you want a fragrant rose garden? Or, do you just want a little getaway that you can enjoy by yourself or with family and friends. This is totally up to you; it is completely a personal preference. 2 How much space you have Once you know what you want to use your small garden for, you’ll need to look at how much space you actually have to work with. This will determine if all the ideas you have for your garden are possible. At this stage start picturing in your mind where you would place elements that you may want to use. Think about where you'd put a chair, table, bench, fountain, containers, etc. 3 What is your budget How much do you want to spend? This will determine how large or small your project will…
Continue ReadingHow To Determine The Function Or Purpose For My Small Garden
I’ve been wanting to make these for a long time. Since I don’t often have plastic pop bottles lying around the house, it took a while to gather enough supplies. I made three or four of these a week ago and they are a definite success. The soil stays moist without any extra watering from me. The basic idea is that you fill the bottom part of the planter with water, have one side of the yarn resting in the water, while the other reaches up into the soil. You won’t need to water them every day, simply refill the reservoir when it gets low. Supplies you will need in addition to a medium-sized plastic pop bottle: hammerscrewdriverscissorsyarn Instructions: Start by cutting the pop bottle in half. I like to keep the top half (the one with the cap) longer than the bottom so there is a lot of room for growth.Poke a hole in the cap of the bottle with a screwdriver and hammer. This is the most difficult part. As you can see in the above photo, my screwdriver is stuck to the PopCap.Thread a piece of yarn through the pop bottle cap so that there is an…
Figuring out what plants grow best in your area is a very important part of the small garden landscape design process because it would be very disappointing if you plant your garden and then half of it dies at first frost. A simple and mostly reliable way to figure this out when shopping for plants is by using the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. This map divides the United States into 11 different zones based on average minimum winter temperatures. This index rates plant hardiness per area and can be used as a guideline when choosing plants for your small garden. Keep in mind though, that this is not foolproof because temperatures may go well below the minimum temperatures for the area. And it doesn’t account for heat, humidity, and regional climate fluctuations. Also, there are temperature fluctuations within the garden itself – for example, a shaded garden will have lower temperatures than a full-sun garden. Photo by Arbor Day Foundation When deciding on plants you have to also take into consideration the amount of shade and sun, the wind circulation, and the direction your small garden faces. A southern-facing garden will get much more sun than a northern-facing one. You should also consider…
Something that most people overlook, even the professionals, is mature plant size and plant spacing. I see this much too often in private yards as well as in public areas. I see plants that are so crowded together that you can’t even tell what type of plants you’re looking at. I also see a lot of layered planting with the taller plants in the front hiding the ones in the back. But I understand why people do this. They want their new garden or their landscaping to look mature without having to wait the necessary time for that to happen naturally. Unfortunately, in the long run, the garden just looks cluttered and out of control. As you can tell this is one of my pet peeves. The old saying is true – patience is a virtue. It’s best to let your plants grow and evolve into their mature selves. An easy way to avoid clutter is to just read up on the plants you’re considering before you plant them. You’ll want to determine the mature width and height of each different plant you’re going to use in your small garden. And the recommended plant spacing measure. Savings-tip: once you know the mature…
Before planting it’s important to consider some factors that determine the type of garden soil you have. Soil Structure Garden Soil is basically made up of three components; solid material (organic matter & minerals), water and air. The minerals in the soil determine its texture (clay, silt and sand). Each of these has varying characteristics. Sandy soil tends to have larger particles and holds less water, which in turn makes it less fertile. Clay soils have the opposite characteristic; clay is made up of very fine particles, which holds water too well. The mix of these types determines the soil’s structure. Loam being most desirable type. A quick test to determine what type of soil structure you have; grab a small amount of wet soil in your hand and try to roll it. If It crumbles easily it’s sand, if it stays together very well it’s clay. The desired result would be a soil that rolls up easily but falls apart when rolled thinly this is loam. Soil PH and Salinity PH and salinity are two other factors to consider before planting. The PH (acidity-less than 7 /alkalinity higher than 7) and salinity of the soil will determine what plants will thrive…
As we deal with the new concepts of quarantine and self-isolation while trying to avoid the Coronavirus, many of us are fortunate that it’s time to get the garden growing. Tilling, planting and tending the garden helps me work off the boredom and frustration I’m feeling, so it’s sure to be just as useful to others. One thing I’ve decided to do while waiting it out is growing more immune boosting herbs in the garden. A healthy immune system helps avoid the virus, and many herbs are useful to boost immunities. Even once this Covid pandemic ends, there are still plenty of reasons to improve immunity. Which herbs work best? Here are my favorite herbs for boosting a healthy immune system. Echinacea – Commonly known as purple coneflower, this is a versatile plant when used for medicinal purposes, and you may already have it growing in your garden. There are more than 40 types of coneflowers, with Echinacea purpurea being most used. Flower petals, leaves and roots can be used medicinally. Make a tincture or tea with these parts to prevent infections and awaken and stimulate the immune system. Turmeric – Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a beautiful flowering plant filled with Curcumin, vitamin C, magnesium, and…
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