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Archive for the ‘Grow Food’ Category

Indoor Edibles
By Eudora DeWynter

Eating a fresh garden salad, made with vegetables grown indoor edibles from an indoor garden in January is a treat that one can only enjoy. Being able to pick and enjoy edible vegetables right from your window sill or right out of your indoor garden will be rewarding. There are many herbs and vegetables that can be grown indoors in winter such as basil, parsley, rosemary, cherry tomatoes and a variety of lettuces. Once you start growing your edibles indoors in winter you will love it, and will always want an indoor garden.

Many people don’t realize that some of the same edible vegetables grown outside can also be grown indoors under the right conditions. Herbs such as basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and dill can be grown in containers on a windowsill with good southern exposure for light or on a countertop with a grow light. Seeds for edibles to be grown indoors may be hard to find so buy a good supply in early spring, they become hard to find by late summer and early fall.

When starting your garden factor in the room temperature and light conditions as well as the pollination of your plants. The room temperature can be controlled and light can be added with the use of grow lights and warm white florescent light, but the pollinating will have to be done manually.

Many indoor gardeners use an artists brush to help with plant pollination and find that it works quite well when distributing pollen from one plant flower to another. Another point to remember is that vegetable plants grown indoors are just as susceptible to pest problems as those grown outside. If you have house plants, insects such as spider mites and white flies can be attracted to your vegetable plants also so the use of an insecticidal soap will be extremely useful inside with closed windows and doors.

Use lightweight soil mixes for your indoor growing, a good example is potting soil mixed with vermiculite and perlite and peat, and this will keep the soil from becoming compact. With the lack of humidity in many homes watering nearly every day or every other day will be essential, and fertilize every two weeks with a good organic fertilizer.

Don’t allow the night time temperature in your garden room drop below 60, remember it is winter and most garden plants don’t fair well in cold temperatures. Keep in mind also that being able to harvest your own fresh edible vegetables from an outdoor or an indoor garden is always rewarding.

Eudora DeWynter offers tips on Growing Indoor Edibles on her blog at http://www.gardentoolguru.com.

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Seeds of Success
By Brian Pettinger

All good gardeners know that seeds are on your side they want to grow and thrive. Apart for some weedy exceptions that I will save until the end of this article seeds can be coaxed into blooming excess with only a little know how.

Help From the Seeds.

Every seed tells a story and you can learn to read that story by considering the parent plant and the seed itself. To set seed most plants need to be pollinated male to female and many plants are self-fertile. Having taken a deal of trouble to attract pollinators or pollination most plants package up the seeds and plan how to distribute them.

Berries and fruit have a soft or pithy outer case to help. Birds ingest elderberries and deposit the seed where they will.

Poppies have a pepperpot shaker type seed head that allows some ripe seed to be sprinkled each day over several days or weeks.

Aquilegia seed pods contort and twist to ping out seeds in a squirting motion so they travel a distance.

Dandelion seeds have feathery tufts to allow the wind to blow them where you don’t want them (but I said I would save these comments to the end)
So from these examples you can see seed pods protect and help distribution of the seed.

Seed Size and Features

Seeds vary in size and shape and many will become familiar to the regular gardener. A conker, pea or a grain sized Mesembryanthemum all have the same function to reproduce plants and maintain the survival of the species.

A good big one beats a good small one is a modern quote and in the vegetable garden leek and runner bean seeds are saved from good parent plants. Note it is the plant not necessarily the seed where size counts. Flower seeds should all be sown to get a choice of seedlings to plant out.

Some seeds have hard coats to protect them and legumes like Lupins or Sweetpeas may need the coat soaking in water or chipping or sanding the outer coat to allow moisture to start the germination phase.

Seeds from Alpines or bulbs generally need a period of cold so are sown in autumn or stratified in the fridge and brought into gentle heat in spring.

Special Treatment

Seeds are programmed to germinate when they expect conditions to suit. You can help provide the growing conditions they need.

Moisture or water is the first key ( so do not save seeds in damp conditions for later sowing they may have germinated and died before you get to sow them).

Temperature is the second issue as seeds are programmed to germinate when the seedling has a chance of survival. So tropical plants will need more warmth than say native Cornflowers.
Time for germination can vary from days for sprouting vegetable seeds to over a year for snowdrops, daphne or narcissus.

Some need light and to be uncovered like petunia and poppies whilst other need moist, dark conditions like cyclamen and begonia.

Conclusions

• Seeds want to be winners.
• You can select your own seed and grow your own winners.
• Seeds that are produced in great quantity are playing a percentage survival game. In most garden conditions you only need a percentage to survive and thrive anyway so don’t agonise over losses.
• Weeds spread unless you get to them before the seeds are distributed. Don’t compost weed seeds, the heat won’t always kill them.

http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/

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Vegetable Gardening – How to Control Disease
By Dave Truman

The struggle to keep your plants free from disease is ongoing. One way to make the battle a little easier is by using a number of methods to protect your plants.

To start with, proper preparation of soil and selection of seeds are a must. In selecting a plant to transplant, make sure it is free of disease and remove any diseased sections to prevent infection of healthy plants.

By watering early in the day you ensure that the leaves are dry before the cool, moist night air sets in. It is also important to be careful when watering plants, because diseases can be carried in runoff water from other plants, in the same way that a sneeze can transfer a cold from one person to another.

Many viruses are spread by contact, and insects are common carries. In order to keep this under control, maintain close watch on the insect population in your garden. Humans and animals are also at fault for the spread of some diseases, such as tobacco mosaic virus.

By regularly weeding the garden, it is not only more attractive, it is also a healthier environment for plants to thrive in. Many harmful organisms feed on weeds, and are then carried to your precious vegetables by insects, water movement and the wind.

A little education never hurt, especially when it comes to disease recognition. Often, by spotting early warning signs, you can help prevent an outbreak among your whole garden.

Problems such as mold should be given proper attention. By removing infected sections, or perhaps the entire plant, the problem can be kept under control. When the outer edges of lettuce touch the ground, a wet rot may start to form at the base, causing lettuce mold. Other molds to look out for are the white Sclerotinia mold and the gray Botrytis mold.

When spinach leaves become blotchy and turn a yellowish color, it is often the sign of spinach mosaic virus. Plant growth is stunted, and the leaves wilt. By working with, or growing, resistant varieties you proactively eliminate the problem from the start.

Fungi that attack asparagus plants can cause a number of problems. Wilting or rotting plants, as well as discoloration of the shoots and roots can be caused by Fusarium. Removing infected plants can help keep the problem under control. Red spots on the spears and shoots are the result of the Puccinia fungus. Some strong fungus strains may even survive through the winter. In order to keep these problems to a minimum, it is necessary to avoid over watering.

tomato plants are subject to a number of problems including leaf spots and disfigurement. Most diseases attack in mid-August, particularly when the summer has been on the cool side. Diseases infecting the soil, such as a number of fungi, may move into the tomato plant. Harmful toxins produced by walnut trees can be carried through the soil by roots, and attack your crop. Watching leaves for dark, circular rings is important, and making sure that leaves are dry by nightfall can help lower the risk of infection.

The key to producing a healthy crop of vegetables is by recognizing the warning signs of disease, and dealing with the early, as well as proactively protecting your garden.

Are you looking for more information about backyard gardening. Find out more about growing heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and lots of other vegetables at the Gardeners Atlas website. Visit http://www.gardenersatlas.com for more valuable tips & advice.

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Save Money by Propagating Your Own Plants
By John Yazo

Plant propagation is a method of plant reproduction. There are two major techniques that can be used. Sexual and asexual plant propagation. The difference between these to types are that sexual is when a plant is reproduced through a seed and asexual is a method that is used when the reproduction of a plant is done with a plant that doesn’t produce seeds.This process of asexual plant propagation includes methods like cuttings, layering, division and grafting.

Learning these different methods can be very rewarding and give you the ability to reproduce new plants from the existing plants that you already have in your house or yard. These methods of plant reproduction are easy to do and can save you a considerable amount of money.

Plant propagation gives you the ability to supply your garden with the amount of your favorite plants you always wanted and to have enough plants to share with your friends and neighbors.

The creativity with the propagation of plants is endless. You can propagate flowering plants like roses with one or more other variety to produce multicolor flowers on the same plant at the same time to fruit trees to produce more than one type of fruit on the same tree. Your imagination is the limit. Experiment for yourself and see what you can produce. You will be surprised how easy and much fun it can be.

There are many hybridizers that have patents on there plants and the reproduction of these plants are illegal for a specific period of time without written permission of the patent holder.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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Propagating of Plants From Seed
By John Yazo

Plant propagation by the method of seed is also known as sexual plant propagation. It is the least expensive, easiest and quickest way to produce a large amount of plants quickly.

This is a method that is a essential part of heirloom gardening. The seeds are open pollinated and are saved year after year from that years parent plant. This helps to create for a healthier plant when good organic gardening practices are used. Planting from the same plant generation after generation helps to strengthen the plant, making it healthier and better adoptable to the area.

The proper care needs to be taken when harvesting and storing the seeds. The seeds need to be saved from the healthiest plants to avoid disease from being carried to the next generation. When purchasing seeds each year the plants don’t get the opportunity to adopt to the area that they are planted. Commercially sold seeds are produced under controlled conditions and it is very unlikely that the conditions are going to be the same in the garden that they get planted.

Once the seeds are harvested they need to be properly dried. If they are not dry before they are stored they will mold and rot. These seeds will no longer be any good for planting. The properly dried seeds then need to be stored in an airtight container and a then labeled. Most seeds will keep for up to five years.

When the time comes to start planting you should use the oldest seeds that you have stored first. If you have any doubt that the seeds are to old you can simply do a germination test on then. This is a simple test and can be done by soaking a few seeds and then placing them on a damp cloth in full sunlight and they should germinate in seven to fourteen days. You should always store more seeds than you need so if you have a year with a bad crop you wont run out and have to start all over from bought seeds.

Some seeds have a tough exterior shell and you can use a technique call scarification to help the seeds germinate. This can be done by two methods. The first is soaking the seeds for twenty four hours before planting to soften the exterior shell or by the second method of scratching or cracking the shell to allow moisture to penetrate the shell.

There are also other seeds that need to go through a low temperature change in order for them to break out of there dormant state. This period of going through this temperature change is known as stratification.

With the proper potting soil mix, atmosphere and lighting propagation with seeds is a simple and easy way to produce the plants you will need for your gardens.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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Propagation of Plant Cuttings
By John Yazo

One inexpensive way to have plenty of new plants for your gardens is to propagate cuttings from existing plants that you already have in your house and yard.

The propagation of plant cuttings can be done from pieces of leaves, stems or roots of a parent plant. Providing the proper growing conditions these cuttings will form a new root system or even shoots. This method is also known as asexual propagation.

It is very important to start out with a good quality rooting media and should be sterile. This will allow for your plants to get a healthy start. Gardening soil or compost should be avoided because they may harbor insects and disease. Rooting media can be purchased at most garden centers or you can make your own.

There are a few other items that you will need before you can start. A good sharp pair of pruning clippers, labels, potting containers and either clear sheet plastic or plastic sandwich bags. The sandwich bags work great to create a tent over the new plantings to keep the moisture and humidity in around the plant while it forms it’s new root system. All these items need to be clean and sterile.

For beginners it is best to start with softwood cuttings like flowering shrubs. The best time of the year to propagate these types of plants are in the later spring or early summer. The cuttings should be taken on a cool morning and it is better after a rain or watering.

When making your cuts do them on a diagonal. The longer the diagonal cut the better. This gives more of an area for the roots to develop from. After cutting keep them in water until ready to plant.

The cuttings can be made anywhere from two inches long to twelve inches long. The longer the cutting is the larger the plant will be from start. Make your cuts just a little below the leaf node. Then plant in rooting media and keep moist until they have developed there root system. There are rooting hormones that can be purchased that will help assist in the root development.

The best way to learn is to experiment. Try working with different plants that you have in your house or yard.It is really a very small investment of time and money with rewards that can be great. It is a fun and sometimes challenging way to grow your own plants.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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Growing Plants Inside a Container
By Kent Higgins

Gardening in containers gives even the smallest porch or patio the ability to project beauty and color or even fresh vegetables and spices for those who care for them. You can let your imagination run wild by utilizing container gardening, even if you live in a small apartment or home. There is a huge variety of plants, flowers, vegetables, and more that can be grown in pots and containers in even the smallest of perceived spaces.

Flower boxes, plantar boxes, window boxes, bay windows, sills, even creatively used fiberglass or plastic tubs and basins can be used to grow plants and flowers. There are literally millions of opportunities to grow plants, you just need to see them.

Before you use a container for plants, however, make sure you know what it’s properties, with soil and plants inside, will be. Will it drain well? At all? How strong is it, will it hold all that dirt and water? Is it large enough? Too large? Each plant is different and has different needs, so make sure your new home for your plant is fitting.

Plastic pots should have drainage holes and moisture trays or the ability to fit in them. Cheap, flimsy plastic can degrade and break down in sunlight, so make sure you use something sturdy enough. The bottoms of plastic 2-liter bottles will work if you cut small drainage holes in them, but don’t use them for more than a year before replacement.

Glazed ceramic pots are great and can have a lot of beauty and charm and intricate design, but they also need to have proper draining built in. Glaze does not allow water to pass through or soak in, so it needs to be provided.

Ceramics that haven’t been glazed will do well, but can dry out the soil too, so watch for that. They are also prone to breakage and conduct heat and cold very well, so they can harm the plants in them if you don’t have the proper control.

Wood containers can rot or break down and will absorb water, but will also give it back when the soil inside is dryer than the wood around it. They make great containers for many reasons, but can easily succumb to rot and ruin. To avoid this, grow only plants that die at the end of the season, then empty the pot and allow it sit dry and empty for the winter before reusing it. This will kill any rot that’s growing in the pot and greatly increase its lifespan.

If you’re growing plants that require deep roots or are growing several plants in one pot, make sure there is room for that. Deep pots for deep-rooted, tall plants are a must so that the plant not only has room to spread out, but so it won’t topple over when it gets larger. It’s better to grow a large plant that’s starting small in the pot it will be in for the rest of its life. Transplanting is hazardous and traumatic for most plants and can cause problems.

Finally, the color of the container is also important. In hot climates, use lighter-color containers so that the heat will be reflected and do the opposite in colder climes. Some people put their pot inside another pot when the seasons change, just to take advantage of the color factor. It can be that important.

Above all, though, make sure to have fun and to grow plants that you find rewarding and beautiful and you’ll definitely have a greener, happier home!

Who said there is no more to learn on the subject of decorative plant containers. Take advantage of our years of experience, visit plant-care.com.

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Heirloom Gardening
By John Yazo

Heirloom gardening is a type of gardening that is in a class of it’s own. There are many unique features in the heirloom varieties of bot vegetables and flowers. This method of gardening is one that has usually been past down from generation to generation along with the seeds.

Once you start heirloom gardening and discover all the unique features that heirloom varieties have over hybrid varieties you will most likely be hooked and never change back. The flavor, juiciness and sweetness of heirloom vegetables have no comparison to hybrid varieties.

The seeds used for this method of gardening are open pollinated. This means that the plant will produce seed naturally. When replanted the seed will reproduce the same plant as it’s parent plant for generation to generation to come. Hybrid seed will not reproduce the same plant when there seeds are saved and replanted. This means the gardener is dependent on the seed companies every year.

All heirloom gardeners have one thing in common. They choose this type of gardening to keep these types of crops and flowers fro going extinct. Every year more and more varieties of heirloom flowers, fruits and vegetables are lost. There are plant seeds that were brought to our country by our ancestors from all parts of the world.

When we save heirloom seeds we are saving apart of history and culture. When choosing seeds that you want to plant you can trace back your family tree and choose varieties that were the ones that your ancestors would of planted.

Choosing to grow heirloom vegetables in your garden will give you the assurance that your crop is pure and natural. There are not produced by genetic changed hybrid seed.

There is a growing interest in heirloom gardening. There are seed companies that are devoted in just heirloom seeds along with many seed exchange groups. These groups are where you can share your seeds with others along with your experience.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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Plant Doctoring
By Kent Higgins

You don’t have to be an expert or a paid professional to diagnose and remedy plant problems. You don’t have to throw away an expensive plant because it seems it will cost more than it’s worth to bring it back to health either. All it takes is a little know-how to diagnose and repair what’s wrong. It’s easy to be an expert plant doctor.

First, when you see a plant that is looking sickly, has poor flowers, ragged leaves, etc. you should look at some simple things to see if that solves the problem. Start with what’s most likely and work your way down to what’s least likely to be the problem and somewhere in there you’ll probably figure out what is wrong.

Make sure the plant is receiving proper care: enough lighting, enough but not too much water, recent transplanting or major moving, etc. How old is the plant and how long has it been in its current location are the first things you’ll need to know. Many plants that are bought at the store and brought home will be droopy for a few days. It’s a new environment it needs to get used to, so give it a little time before you get too drastic.

Also be sure that the plant doesn’t have special needs that aren’t being met or that it doesn’t “molt” or shed its foliage yearly as part of its routine. It’s also important to understand that younger plants and seedlings will often have very different problems and looks than older plants will.

Look at the plant with a magnifying glass and see if you can see any pests, unusual growths, or other things that might not be so obvious to the naked eye. Many parasites and fungal infections are very small and hard to see. You’ll often find little colonies of things crawling and growing on your plant that you may never have even knew existed. Some of these might be small spiders, mites, aphids, etc. that need to be dealt with.

Make sure to look under the leaves, as the underside is often where parasites and pupai are located.

Look around the plant at its surrounding soil and mulch and be sure there aren’t snails and other night creatures hiding there. These are often culprits when nothing else seems to be a problem. Get rid of the pests and the problem will go away.

Poor plant care is often the reason plants don’t seem to be doing well. Perhaps it’s a plant that needs a lot of sunlight and is only getting two or three hours a day? Maybe it needs to be rotated to get full sun from one day to the next? Perhaps it’s not getting enough or is getting too much water-both are serious issues. Is the soil getting depleted? Maybe it’s time for the addition of some nitrogen or other nutrients, according to the plant’s needs.

What about the plant and its container? Is the plant too big for the pot it’s in? If the plant has outgrown it’s pot, a new and larger one will be needed. Often when you pull a plant out of its pot to transplant it, the roots will be heavily balled up, which is a sure sign of constriction. Don’t pull them apart, but loosen and break up the soil that surrounds them so they can spread naturally.

Learning to diagnose and solve plant problems is not too difficult and becomes easier with practice. Use common sense and make sure you know the plant you’re dealing with. A good book or website reference will often save the day.

Don’t delay – Now is the right time to gain more knowledge on the subject of indoor plant problems. Both novices and experts look to us for valuable information on plant-care.com.

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Interested in Organic Gardening? Consider These 10 Tips
By Amy Nutt

Imagine providing your family with food that you know is healthy, because you grew it yourself without the help of chemicals. With organic gardening this is possible. Organic gardening involves using natural pest control and fertilizers to grow flowers, vegetables, and fruits, rather than commercially produced and environmentally hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. If you are interested in organic gardening, consider these ten tips.

Tip 1 – Use Natural Pest Control

Your garden is going to have pests. Once you have identified them, research natural controllers you could add to the garden. These natural controllers could be other insects, such as ladybugs to control an aphid population, or plants, such as garlic to prevent armyworms or apple maggots.

Tip 2 – Rotate Plants Regularly

Rotating your plant sites will keep them healthy and also help control some pest populations. When you rotate your plants, the soil has a chance to recoup. Each plant takes different nutrients from the soil, and some even return nutrients to the soil. Properly rotating your plants each year will keep your entire garden healthy.

Tip 3 – Prune Plants Carefully

Remove any dead parts you find on your plants. They are not going to heal, and they will cause the plant to become diseased. Do not leave them on the ground near the plant, either. Remove them from the garden and destroy them right away.

Tip 4 – Make Good Compost

Compost is the best way to feed your organic garden. Compost is not difficult to make. Simply layer leaves, lawn clippings, and organic kitchen waste in your compost heap. If you need to get the compost started quickly, you can add a compost starter to the mix. Keep in mind that the good compose is at the bottom of the pile, so you will need to have a way to turn it or access the pile from the bottom. Once you have a nice amount of compost, work it into your soil to create rich organic soil.

Tip 5 – Air Your Compost Pile

Compost needs air to properly decompose. You can add air by turning the compost pile regularly. You can also provide the pile with air by putting a PVC pipe into it in the center of the pile. Also, build the pile on a layer of branches and sticks to provide some air from the bottom.

Tip 6 – Choose Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizer will help your plants grow bigger and healthier. This is particularly important if you are growing food. Choose a low-dose fertilizer, however, because they will not burn the roots of your plants or provide too much of any particular nutrient.

Tip 7 – Purchase Organic Seeds

Since seeds come from plants, the only way to have a truly organic garden is to buy organic seeds. You cannot sell your produce as USDA certified organic if you do not use organic seeds. Organic seeds must come from open pollinated or hybrid plants. Seeds from non-organic plants have been exposed to pesticides and other chemicals, so they may not grow properly.

Tip 8 – Test Your Soil

Your soil is not going to contain all of the nutrients your plants need. Test it to determine what nutrients are missing. Then, alter your fertilizer and compost materials to provide the missing nutrients to the soil.

Tip 9 – Water Carefully

The soil in your garden needs to feel moist, but over-watering can lead to disease and strip nutrients out of the soil. Typically, plants need an inch of water per week. You can keep a rain gauge in the garden to help you determine how much water it needs.

Tip 10 – Intercrop

Intercropping, which refers to growing one crop in between rows of another crop, is an important organic gardening technique. Planting herbs and flowers, such as mint or marigolds, in between your vegetables will keep some pests away. Also, intercropping improves the soil nutrient levels.

Organic gardening guide features tips and solutions to common garden issues – Redenta’s is committed to a natural and sustainable approach to gardening.

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