Container Sizes for All
Oh how I want to share this great resource http://greyduckgarlic.com/Container_Gardens.html since I'm always forgetting which size pots to use for which things I'm trying to grow. It seems like every time I go to transplant something, I'm back to Google to find another page showing me what to use. This is a great one to bookmark I think!
Indoor Plants = Happier!
Wow, I thought houses with indoor plants seemed to feel "nicer" to be in, but this is amazing! http://www.monumentmagazine.com.au/home/2010/6/8/uts-study-highlights-benefits-of-indoor-greenery.html
Snippet Says:
Across a series of tests conducted before and after plants were present in offices, people showed:
What a lot of excellent reasons (other than just liking plants) for making spaces indoors for more plants! I'm even more motivated now than I was before, hope you are, too! Go ahead, read it all & see! :)
Snippet Says:
Across a series of tests conducted before and after plants were present in offices, people showed:
- 37% reduction in tension/anxiety;
- 58% reduction in depression/dejection;
- 44% reduction in anger/hostility;
- 38% reduction in fatigue; and
- 30% reduction in confusion.
What a lot of excellent reasons (other than just liking plants) for making spaces indoors for more plants! I'm even more motivated now than I was before, hope you are, too! Go ahead, read it all & see! :)
More Lettuce, Fall Season
Having extra space in a garden bed with summer nearly over has made me a little sad. I'm not looking forward to empty garden boxes this winter, so I've been sort of desperately looking for "last minute" things to plant. Every time I've gone through my seed collection searching for fast growers that will tolerate cooler weather, all I find that will work is lettuces.
So in one last ditch effort to find anything else, lettuce still won out as the thing to plant this weekend. If it's coming from the National Gardening Association, it can't be wrong, right?
"Lettuce is the perfect crop for this backward gardening exercise because it grows well even when soil temperatures are in the 40 degrees F to 50 degrees F range. Lettuce also grows well with fewer daily sunlight hours than almost any other crop, and mature plants can withstand air temperatures as low as 25 degrees F."
The full page is here: http://www.garden.org/articles/articles.php?q=show&id=53
So in one last ditch effort to find anything else, lettuce still won out as the thing to plant this weekend. If it's coming from the National Gardening Association, it can't be wrong, right?
"Lettuce is the perfect crop for this backward gardening exercise because it grows well even when soil temperatures are in the 40 degrees F to 50 degrees F range. Lettuce also grows well with fewer daily sunlight hours than almost any other crop, and mature plants can withstand air temperatures as low as 25 degrees F."
The full page is here: http://www.garden.org/articles/articles.php?q=show&id=53
Figuring Out Carrots
Well I have a few different varieties of carrots, from full size to short stubby ones called Little Fingers. I thought it would be cool to try and grow them not only in the ground, but also in containers. As they grew, I realized I have no idea when to pick them.
So I went searching and found everything, yep everything, there is to know about carrots! http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ I wish there was a potato, tomato, and strawberry museum website, too! Maybe there is somewhere I haven't found yet.
So I went searching and found everything, yep everything, there is to know about carrots! http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ I wish there was a potato, tomato, and strawberry museum website, too! Maybe there is somewhere I haven't found yet.
2 Liter Containers DIY
I love cheap that works, and have been trying to figure out self-watering containers that actually work well. Here's one that uses 2-liter containers - big plastic soda pop containers. Interesting and super cheap, too. :)
Apples Overload: Butter!
This time of year there are so many apples it's ridiculous. There are free apples being offered on Craigslist.org, free apples from friends, free apples falling from the neighbors' trees. There are seemingly "too many".
I don't like being hungry. Being hungry is depressing. So I really like to save food! Though I don't have a way to can food yet, I know some food can be frozen or dehydrated for keeping edible for extra time. I already have some dehydrated apples, though I have no idea how long those will keep without molding. Freezing apples apparently only works well if they're going to be used for cooking pies later, but I'm not positive about that. I am positive that I can make applesauce. But that gets mighty boring after a while, and I don't even really like applesauce myself.
I finally thought of apple butter! So I read a little bit about how hard or easy that would be to make, found a recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/apples-galore-how-to-make-appl-97454 and I'm currently making a small batch. So far I just have apple sauce, but I just took off the lid to let the liquid evaporate and sauce thicken to hopefully a soft butter consistency.
If this apple butter turns out good enough to eat, then I'll be ready when my own apple tree, that I planted just this year, starts producing apples in a few years :)
UPDATE: Sad to say the amount of apples to apple butter is about 5:1 or worse. So if you want more than a 1/2 cup of apple butter, use lots of apples!
I don't like being hungry. Being hungry is depressing. So I really like to save food! Though I don't have a way to can food yet, I know some food can be frozen or dehydrated for keeping edible for extra time. I already have some dehydrated apples, though I have no idea how long those will keep without molding. Freezing apples apparently only works well if they're going to be used for cooking pies later, but I'm not positive about that. I am positive that I can make applesauce. But that gets mighty boring after a while, and I don't even really like applesauce myself.
I finally thought of apple butter! So I read a little bit about how hard or easy that would be to make, found a recipe here: http://www.thekitchn.com/apples-galore-how-to-make-appl-97454 and I'm currently making a small batch. So far I just have apple sauce, but I just took off the lid to let the liquid evaporate and sauce thicken to hopefully a soft butter consistency.
If this apple butter turns out good enough to eat, then I'll be ready when my own apple tree, that I planted just this year, starts producing apples in a few years :)
UPDATE: Sad to say the amount of apples to apple butter is about 5:1 or worse. So if you want more than a 1/2 cup of apple butter, use lots of apples!
Storing Strawberry Plants
With winter coming I'm getting nervous about losing my strawberry plants. I really don't want to have to buy new plants next year - I spent a lot of time and energy working to keep the ones I have away from the squirrels. So I started searching for answers.
Apparently strawberries like to go dormant during the winter. We can cover them with mulch or hay, if they're planted in the ground, or move them to a dark shed for the winter. But, that seems a little sad to me.
Then I found out that we can dig the entire plant out of the ground and move it to a container to "save" it. Hey, cool. See this section called "Storing Strawberry Plants (Non-Bare Root)" on this page: http://strawberryplants.org/2010/11/storing-bare-root-strawberry-plants/
They call it "overwintering" strawberries. I like to think of it as "saving" them. :)
Apparently strawberries like to go dormant during the winter. We can cover them with mulch or hay, if they're planted in the ground, or move them to a dark shed for the winter. But, that seems a little sad to me.
Then I found out that we can dig the entire plant out of the ground and move it to a container to "save" it. Hey, cool. See this section called "Storing Strawberry Plants (Non-Bare Root)" on this page: http://strawberryplants.org/2010/11/storing-bare-root-strawberry-plants/
They call it "overwintering" strawberries. I like to think of it as "saving" them. :)
I'm a Newest Fan!
I cannot explain how simply brilliant I think this is: http://katsmama.com/2011/04/30/inside-out-self-watering-pot/
I also cannot explain how very rarely I subscribe to anything via email, but this katsmama.com blogger just solved something so simply that has been so hard for me, that I've wasted so much time on, I'm so thrilled, I subscribed via email. Seriously. Wow. I can't wait to read the whole blog there!
I also cannot explain how very rarely I subscribe to anything via email, but this katsmama.com blogger just solved something so simply that has been so hard for me, that I've wasted so much time on, I'm so thrilled, I subscribed via email. Seriously. Wow. I can't wait to read the whole blog there!
Caring for Seedlings
I'm once again having problems with leggy little seedlings, so went searching around and found this information about starting seeds. Near the end of the answers is the reminder:
"Finally, be sure to keep your fluorescent lights no higher than 3” above the seedlings at all times."
Welcome to read this about Caring for Seedlings: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seeding-Propagation-733/Caring-seedlings.htm, too. I've bookmarked it for refreshing my own memory later :)
"Finally, be sure to keep your fluorescent lights no higher than 3” above the seedlings at all times."
Welcome to read this about Caring for Seedlings: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seeding-Propagation-733/Caring-seedlings.htm, too. I've bookmarked it for refreshing my own memory later :)
Planting by the Moon?
Okay I tripped over this web page today while looking for methods for starting seeds indoors and then transplanting to bigger pots but still keeping the plants growing in the house. Since I've planted all the fall crops (by crops I mean just a few square foot spaces outside in my raised garden beds), I'm thinking of indoor veggies during the winter already. Though I'm still not sure if it's possible to do successfully, I imagine it's worth a try.
The Moon Phase Gardening website talks about timing plantings with moon phases! Now there's something I'd never have thought of myself. Here's the part I'm on now, though there's lots more. http://www.moongrow.com/moon_phase_gardening.html
The Moon Phase Gardening website talks about timing plantings with moon phases! Now there's something I'd never have thought of myself. Here's the part I'm on now, though there's lots more. http://www.moongrow.com/moon_phase_gardening.html
Long Lasting Seeds
A friend of mine gave me some old seeds when she found out I wanted to find out if I could grow things to eat. I gleefully accepted the "expired" seeds she offered me, and I thought there's no harm in dumping some water on them to see if they'll grow. Yep, throwing them in the dirt & dumping water on them - real technical lingo in my thought process.
During the months of spring and summer I was still being in the super non-technical naive mindset and I didn't see any harm in buying "expired" seeds from the market either. What's the worst that can happen? They won't grow? No big loss.
Some seed packets were dated with sell-by years, shipped for 2011 season (with 50% off marked price) or 2012 which were marked 25% off for sales. All these seeds, glorious seeds, that I collected this year with plans of planting crops upon crops in my tiny garden.
After the spring and early summer sowing, I still had a lot of seeds left. Now that it's the season for planting fall crops, there are still an awful lot of seeds left in dozens of packets.
I started to feel sad thinking it's wasteful to have such a collection of seeds that probably won't sprout next spring (or during the winter if I try to plant them indoors). Then I started searching, and found this information (and more on the Clemson University Home & Garden Information Center website:
"Long-lived seeds include beets; all cabbage relatives such as broccoli, cauliflower, collards, and kale; cucumber; lettuce; melons; peppers; sunflower; tomato; and turnip. If you keep them cool and dry, these seeds should maintain good viability for five years or more."
"Medium-lived seeds include beans, carrot, chard, eggplant, parsley, peas, pumpkin and squash. These, properly stored, should last at least three years."
"Short-lived seeds can only be depended on to last to the next growing season. This list includes corn, leek, onion and spinach seed."
Great news I think! This should mean that the only wasted seeds are things like corn, leak, and onions. All the other seeds should be fine for next year :)
During the months of spring and summer I was still being in the super non-technical naive mindset and I didn't see any harm in buying "expired" seeds from the market either. What's the worst that can happen? They won't grow? No big loss.
Some seed packets were dated with sell-by years, shipped for 2011 season (with 50% off marked price) or 2012 which were marked 25% off for sales. All these seeds, glorious seeds, that I collected this year with plans of planting crops upon crops in my tiny garden.
After the spring and early summer sowing, I still had a lot of seeds left. Now that it's the season for planting fall crops, there are still an awful lot of seeds left in dozens of packets.
I started to feel sad thinking it's wasteful to have such a collection of seeds that probably won't sprout next spring (or during the winter if I try to plant them indoors). Then I started searching, and found this information (and more on the Clemson University Home & Garden Information Center website:
"Long-lived seeds include beets; all cabbage relatives such as broccoli, cauliflower, collards, and kale; cucumber; lettuce; melons; peppers; sunflower; tomato; and turnip. If you keep them cool and dry, these seeds should maintain good viability for five years or more."
"Medium-lived seeds include beans, carrot, chard, eggplant, parsley, peas, pumpkin and squash. These, properly stored, should last at least three years."
"Short-lived seeds can only be depended on to last to the next growing season. This list includes corn, leek, onion and spinach seed."
Great news I think! This should mean that the only wasted seeds are things like corn, leak, and onions. All the other seeds should be fine for next year :)
Squirrel's Cucumber
This is what I found in the garden this afternoon.
The cucumbers had only recently started forming. As you can see in the picture (hopefully) it's pretty small ~ about 5" long, and not very big around. Just use the squirrel's teeth prints as a size comparison.
There are 2 more cucumbers growing, both a little bigger than the one above. I found the squirrel's cucumber about 5 feet away from the cucumber plants. I'm mad.
After I finished the strawberry's anti-squirrel protection and found that it's working nicely, I had actually relaxed a bit. Shame really. Now I'll have to do something similar to protect the cucumbers.
I'm half-tempted to just build a giant cage around all my garden spots - something big and sturdy with chicken wire and 2x4's. On the bright side, at least it's just a 1st year garden, a test of sorts, to see what I could get to grow in the backyard. I'd have been even more upset if I planted tons and had it all ravished. Now I know to make a plan to protect basically all things from squirrels before I go to crazy planting next spring.
My latest mistake: Delayed Transplanting
Well I did it again. I looked up information too late:(
I thought I should look up when to transplant the lovely little mystery seedlings that volunteered to grow even after I forgot to label them. They're the littlest ones in this picture:
So, I googled, clicked on the 1st handy result and found this: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/propagation/transplanting.html which has this important bit:
"The ideal time to transplant young seedlings is when they are small and there is little danger from setback. This is usually about the time the first true leaves appear above or between the cotyledon leaves (the cotyledons or seed leaves are the first leaves the seedling produces)"
This was okay news for the little ones, but notice the big one in the yogurt container? Yeah, that's the beans I planted to see if they'd grow, and grow they did. I was thinking (wrongly) that I shouldn't try to put them in a pot until they were nearly root bound. Big Mistake! Here's how big they are (shown on about a 12" shelf height):
I'll have to transplant them today of course, and hope for the best!
I thought I should look up when to transplant the lovely little mystery seedlings that volunteered to grow even after I forgot to label them. They're the littlest ones in this picture:
So, I googled, clicked on the 1st handy result and found this: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/propagation/transplanting.html which has this important bit:
"The ideal time to transplant young seedlings is when they are small and there is little danger from setback. This is usually about the time the first true leaves appear above or between the cotyledon leaves (the cotyledons or seed leaves are the first leaves the seedling produces)"
This was okay news for the little ones, but notice the big one in the yogurt container? Yeah, that's the beans I planted to see if they'd grow, and grow they did. I was thinking (wrongly) that I shouldn't try to put them in a pot until they were nearly root bound. Big Mistake! Here's how big they are (shown on about a 12" shelf height):
I'll have to transplant them today of course, and hope for the best!
Swirly Trellis!
I really like this Secret Garden idea http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2012/08/trellis-from-my-secret-garden.html using swirly wood as a trellis. I have a very un-square corner where 2 different fences meet and I've been stuck not knowing what to do with it. Trellis for pretty things to grow up on is definitely my favorite option, but the square trellis designs only show how un-square the corner really is. But the linked idea shows a great way to hide an unattractive corner, so I'm sharing and saving this one for my 'future ideas'!
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